March 14, 2007	Wednesday	Safar 24, 1428

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INDIAN WELLS (California), March 13: The Pacific Life Open moved on Monday one day after the stunning first-round exit of world No 1 and three-time defending champ Roger Federer.

Federer's defeat at the hands of lucky loser Guillermo Canas shifted the focus of the 5.3 million dollar ATP/WTA hardcourt tournament to a wide-open men's field that includes two-time defending French Open champ Rafael Nadal and former US Open winner Andy Roddick.

Both Nadal and Roddick stormed into the next round on Monday with straight set victories as the California desert tournament entered its second week.

Roddick hammered 18 aces as he defeated Olivier Rochus 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) under intense heat in a third round match on the main stadium court.

The 20-year-old Nadal did likewise, breaking Fernando Verdasco's served once in each set to beat the Spanish countryman 6-4, 6-4 and reach the round of 16.

Nadal will take on another Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the next round for a berth in the quarter-finals.

Nadal, who improved to 5-0 lifetime against Verdasco, converted two of six break point chances and made just 14 unforced errors in the one hour, 27 minute match in front of a crowd of 10,000.

Temperatures in the main stadium court were ten degrees above normal, reaching 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) for Roddick's daytime match.

Roddick served 61 percent and hammered 41 winners to go with his 18 aces.

He has hit 33 aces in his first two matches.

Argentina's 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-0.

Canas, who is also from Argentina, was eliminated on Monday, losing 6-4, 6-4 to 1998 French Open champ Carlos Moya.

In other matches on Monday, British No 1 Andy Murray easily defeated Nicolas Mahut 6-1, 6-3, Richard Gasquet, of France, beat Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

The biggest upset on Monday involved last year's runner-up James Blake who lost to unseeded Julien Benneteau, of France, 6-2, 7-6 (7-1).

In women's side of the draw, second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Russian countrywoman Elena Likhovtseva 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) and fourth seeded Russian Nadia Petrova defeated American Laura Granville 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the night match.

Monday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Third round: 2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat 32-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 6-4, 6-4; 22-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Jose Acasuso (Argentina) 4-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4; 4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-1; 14-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 6-1, 6-3; Julien Benneteau (France) beat 6-James Blake (US) 6-2, 7-6 (7-1); 3-Andy Roddick (US) beat 33-Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); 5-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) beat 26-Robin Soederling (Sweden) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2); 9-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-0, 6-3; Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Guillermo Canas (Argentina) 6-4, 6-4; 8-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) beat Thomas Johansson (Sweden) 6-1, 6-4; 13-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Nicolas Mahut (France) 6-1, 6-3; 10-David Nalbandian (Argentina) beat Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-0; 30-Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) beat Gilles Simon (France) 6-2, 6-2; Michael Russell (US) beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 6-1, 7-5; 15-Richard Gasquet (France) beat 18-Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3; 12-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Evgeny Korolev (Russia) 6-2, 6-1.

Women’s singles:

Third round: 4-Nadia Petrova (Russia) beat Laura Granville (US) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0; 13-Tatiana Golovin (France) beat 21-Samantha Stosur

(Australia) 6-2, 6-0; 2-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4); 16-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) beat 20-Tathiana Garbin (Italy) 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-1; 33-Sybille Bammer (Austria) beat 30-Peng Shuai (China) 6-3, 6-3; 10-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Alicia Molik (Australia) 6-2, 6-1; 6-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) beat Ahsha Rolle (US) 6-3, 4-1 – Rolle retired; 17-Marion Bartoli (France) beat 9-Dinara Safina (Russia) 6-4, 6-3.—Agencies