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| August 11, 2006 | Friday | Rajab 15, 1427 |
Federer forges ahead with 14th consecutive win
TORONTO, Aug 10: World number one Roger Federer won his 14th match in a row while fifth seed James Blake, Britain's Tim Henman and Australian Lleyton Hewitt lost Wednesday at the ATP Masters Series event here.
Federer rolled past France's Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-3 in a second-round match at the 2.45 million-dollar tournament, a warm-up for the US Open which starts later this month.
Improving to 58-4 this year, the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion advanced to face Russian Dmitry Tursunov, who avenged a Los Angeles final loss by ousting Germany's Tommy Haas 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.
Scottish 19-year-old prodigy Andy Murray defeated England's Henman 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) in the “Battle of Britain” while Hewitt was forced out by a right knee injury with Sweden's Thomas Johansson leading 6-3, 3-2.
France's Richard Gasquet staged the day's biggest shocker, ousting American Blake 6-4, 6-3. Also falling was Spanish seventh seed Tommy Robredo, who fell to Argentina's Jose Acasuso 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Gasquet rated the victory as likely his best since downing Federer last year at Monte Carlo.
Results (second round):
Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat 16-Tommy Haas (Germany) 7-5 2-6 6-1; Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat Kevin Kim (U.S.) 6-3 6-2; Andy Murray (Britain) beat Tim Henman (Britain) 6-2 7-6(3); Davide Sanguinetti (Italy) beat Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) 6-4 7-6(4); 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Sebastien Grosjean (France) 6-3 6-3; 13-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 7-6(3) 6-4; 4-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) beat Arnaud Clement (France) 7-6(6) 6-4; Richard Gasquet (France) beat 5-James Blake (U.S.) 6-4 6-3; Jose Acasuso (Argentina) beat 7-Tommy Robredo (Spain) 2-6 6-3 6-4; Julien Benneteau (France) beat Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) 7-6(2) 5-7 6-1; Xavier Malisse (Belgium) beat Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand) 7-6(3) 6-3; 15-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) beat Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) 6-2 6-1; Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Denis Gremelmayr (Germany) 6-1 6-4.
LOS ANGELES: Samantha Stosur spoiled Lindsay Davenport's return from injury on Wednesday, outlasting the former world number one 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-3 to reach the third round of this 600,000-dollar WTA US Open tuneup.
Davenport, seeded fourth, was playing for the first time since March, when she revealed she had been diagnosed with a bulging disk in her lower back.
Sharapova opened her Los Angeles campaign with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over compatriot Anastassia Rodionova.
The 106th-ranked qualifier surprised Sharapova with a break of serve in the fifth game of the opening set. But it seemed only to galvanize Sharapova, who lost just three points in the next four games as she closed out the set in 28 minutes.
The world No. 4 then cruised through the second set to book a third-round clash with France's Marion Bartoli.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams continued her progress back from injury with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Ashley Harkleroad.
In the third round she'll face seventh-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 winner over Raymond.
Results (second round):
Marion Bartoli (FRA x15) bt Jill Craybas (USA) 6-2, 6-0; Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER x6) bt Akiko Morigami (JPN) 6-3, 6-2; Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x7) bt Lisa Raymond (USA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2; Shahar Peer (ISR x14) bt Paola Suarez (ARG) 6-2, 6-3; Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3; Alona Bondarenko (RUS) bt Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5; Samantha Stosur (AUS) bt Lindsay Davenport (USA x4) 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-3; Laura Granville (USA) bt Mariana Diaz-Oliva (ARG) 6-1, 6-1; Ana Ivanovic (SCG x10) bt Mara Santangelo (ITA) 7-6 (7/4), 7-5; Serena Williams (USA) bt Ashley Harkleroad (USA) 6-3, 6-2; Maria Sharapova (RUS x1) bt Anastassia Rodionova (RUS) 6-3, 6-1; Jelena Jankovic (SCG x16) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 —Agencies
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