MIAMI (Florida), March 27: World number one Amelie Mauresmo and third seed David Nalbandian advanced while Martina Hingis lost on Sunday in the third round at the ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament.
Australian Open champion Mauresmo ousted French compatriot Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-0 while Argentina’s Nalbandian bounced back strong after dropping a tie-breaker to bounce Czech Tomas Berdych 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-0.
Hingis battled to the finish but Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova eliminated the Swiss star 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (11-9). Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam champion coming off a three-year retirement, had beaten Kuznetsova in a Doha quarterfinal.
A confident Mauresmo, now 3-0 against Bartoli, advanced to a round of 16 matchup with Serbian Ana Ivanovic, who eliminated Ukranian Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
Kuznetsova will face another Swiss player, seventh seed Patty Schnyder, for a spot in the quarter-finals. Schnyder eliminated Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.
Nalbandian will next face Czech Radek Stepanek, who outlasted Chile’s Nicolas Massu 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5. Nalbandian overcame a tough start to breeze in the last two sets.
Fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko was a break down in the second and third sets but fought back to defeat Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Russian fourth seed Maria Sharapova beat Italian qualifier Maria Elena Camerin 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) while Japan’s Ai Sugiyama defeated Russian Elena Likhovtseva 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.
China’s Zheng Jie downed Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-4, 7-5 to book a fourth-round date with American Jill Craybas, who followed her upset of Belgian second seed Kim Clijsters by beating Czech Klara Koukalova 6-1, 6-2.