Ferrer unchallenged by the up-and-coming Dolgopolov

The No. 10 seed David Ferrer won his first round match today against 21-year-old Alexander Dolgopolov of the Ukraine in workmanlike fashion, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.

Ferrer, who reached the semifinals here in 2007, won the first set in just 26 minutes and never was seriously threatened in the 1-hour and 20-minute match. He improves his hard-court record in 2010 to 9-8.

Ferrer's easy win today, played out on the relative boondocks of Court 7, was a bit of a surprise to those who follow the game closely. His young Ukraine opponent has had a break-out year on the ATP Tour and is considered by some insiders to be "The Next Big Thing." His time seemed far plenty far off today. The 28-year-old Ferrer appeared bull-like in his approach to the match, pounding heavy topspin ground strokes deep into the corners throughout the match, and hustling after every ball.

In contrast, Dolgopolov displayed a highly inconsistent, sometimes spectacular, but always unpredicatble style. He hit numerous drop shots-- at one point he tried three in the span of five points. He also had a penchant for hitting extremely hard and extremely flat. Numerous times he attempted full swing, flat, forehand returns off Ferrer's first serve, with predictably limited success, at one point hitting the back fence on the fly. While he looked inexperienced today, Dolgopolov has shot up in the rankings this year, from No. 131 to his current No. 45, reaching the third round of the French Open in the spring.

Ferrer, who has been a mainstay in the top 20 since 2005, looked sharp and determined. He can never be counted out from going deep in any of the slams. He's had his most success this year on clay, where his match record is an impressive 31-7. But he's clearly dangerous on all surfaces. The best Grand Slam result of his career came on the hard courts here in 2007. Wimbledon was the only grass court event he played this year, but he made the most of it, reaching the fourth round, where he lost to Robin Soderling in five sets.

Ferrer takes on Benjamin Becker of Germany, ranked No. 69 in round two.