From ATP Tennis
21 April 2003

Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 19-year-old wild card Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at the CAM Open Comunidad Valenciana on Tuesday. Ferrero has been a terror on the clay this season, winning the title at the Tennis Masters Monte-Carlo and reaching the semifinals last week in Barcelona. The Spaniard now stands in the fourth position of the ATP Champions Race, and is looking for a strong run in Valencia this week to challenge for the No. 3 spot, held by Rainer Schuettler.

What the Players Said…
Ferrero: “It wasn’t a good match because it is difficult to play against someone who you practice with so often.”

“I am taking a risk with my clay court schedule. It is pretty heavy from now up until Roland Garros. I am scheduled to have one week off before Paris. Playing here is not as tiring as competing abroad. I wanted to see this tournament happen and now that we have the event, I want to see it grow.”