Defending champion Sergi Bruguera was in a feisty mood ahead of Friday’s clash with Marcelos Rios - his first ever encounter with the Chilean on a clay court.
First, the Spaniard dispatched Cedric Pioline for the loss of only five games, and then he gave a withering assessment of Manchester United’s football team after their goalless draw against his beloved Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semifinal on Wednesday night.
Bruguera beat Pioline 6-4, 6-1 in his opening group match on Thursday, but he expects a tougher time against Rios. The Chilean, a former World No.1, dismissed Carl-Uwe Steeb 6-1, 6-2 on day one.
“I played very well against Cedric but it is going to be tough against Marcelo - he and Albert Costa are the favourites to win the tournament,” said Bruguera, who won the event in both of the past two years.
“I am playing well but I have never played against Rios on clay. I am looking forward to the challenge because he is in great shape,” he added.
It was an impressive display from Bruguera, particularly as it came only hours after the disappointment of seeing his football team fail to win against a team he branded as ‘one of the worst that I have seen in the Nou Camp this year’. The match at the Nou Camp stadium was played only a couple of kilometres away from the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona 1899, where Bruguera and co are competing this week.
“Manchester United were terrible and yet the score still finished 0-0. When we play each other in the return leg I think we are going to suffer,” said Bruguera.
“For me, they (Manchester United) were one of the worst teams that I have seen in the Nou Camp this year. I have never been as disappointed in a team as I was in them. I was shocked. I didn’t know Wayne Rooney was a defender! Manchester (United) played with nine players in their own half of the pitch and just Cristiano Ronaldo in the Barcelona half.”
Elsewhere, Costa won on his BlackRock Tour of Champions debut, beating Henri Leconte 6-3, 6-2, and Magnus Larsson overcame Michael Stich 6-3, 7-6(3).
After Barcelona, the BlackRock Tour of Champions will move onto the Foro Italico in Rome over the weekend of the 10th and 11th May, and then the BlackRock Tennis Classic at the Rothenbaum Club in Hamburg, 14-18 May.
After that, Pete Sampras will make his long awaited debut on the BlackRock Tour of Champions in Sao Paulo, 21-24 May, 2008.
The Tour opened in Belfast in February with Anders Jarryd successfully defending his title.
