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| August 10, 2007 | Friday | Rajab 25, 1428 |
Federer and Nadal cruise into third round
MONTREAL, Aug 9: Defending champion Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal eased into the third round of the Montreal Masters with straight-set wins on Wednesday. World number one Federer tamed the giant serve of Croat Ivo Karlovic to win 7-6, 7-6 and Nadal beat Russian Marat Safin 7-6, 6-0 in a high-quality match under lights.
Federer, in his first match since winning his fifth successive Wimbledon title, could not force a single break point but came out on top in two tiebreaks.
Federer next meets Italian qualifier Fabio Fognini, who upset 13th seed Andy Murray 6-2, 6-2.
Nadal, runner-up to Federer at Wimbledon, had to work hard to get the better of former world number one Safin, who fought back from an early break down to force two set points on his opponent’s serve at 6-5.
But once the Spanish world number two had saved both, the writing was on the wall and he took the tiebreak 7-4 before cruising through the second set.
The Spaniard will next play Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, who beat Croat Mario Ancic 6-3, 6-2.
Fifth seed Andy Roddick made a solid start by beating Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-1, 7-6.
The American, who won the title in Washington last weekend, trailed 5-3 in the second-set tiebreak before winning four consecutive points to clinch victory.
Roddick will face Marcos Baghdatis after the Cypriot beat Dutchman Robin Haase 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
Lleyton Hewitt was gifted a place in the third round when opponent James Blake withdrew before their match with an abdominal strain.
Australian Hewitt will now play Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty, who upset seventh seed Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-2, 6-4, while eighth seed Richard Gasquet squandered a match point before losing 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 to Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
Fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko battled past Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 7-6 to reach the third round and another Russian, 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny, advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.
Results on Wednesday (prefix number denotes seeding):
Second round: 2-Rafael Nadal (ESP) bt Marat Safin (RUS) 7-6(4), 6-0; Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Robin Haase (NET) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) bt Mario
Ancic (CRO) 6-3, 6-2; 1-Roger Federer (SWI) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 7-6(2), 7-6(3); Frank Dancevic (CAN) bt Wayne Odesnik (US) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5; 12-Tommy Haas (GER) bt Michael Russell (US) 6-3, 3-0 (Russell retired); 5-Andy Roddick (US) bt Arnaud Clement (FRA) 6-1, 7-6(5); David Nalbandian (ARG) bt 16-David Ferrer (ESP) 7-6(4), 6-1; 4-Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 6-3, 7-6(5); Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) bt 9-James Blake (US) walk over; Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt 8-Richard Gasquet (FRA) 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4; 14-Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) bt Stanislas Wawrinka (SWI) 6-4, 6-4; Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) bt 7-Tommy Robredo (ESP) 6-2, 6-4; Fabio Fognini (ITA) bt 13-Andy Murray (UK) 6-2, 6-2.
LOS ANGELES: Top seed Maria Sharapova advanced to the third round of the Los Angeles Classic on Wednesday after Greece’s Eleni Daniilidou retired with breathing difficulties.
Down 7-6, 3-1, Dandiilidou called it quits after a medical time out and left the court in tears.
Sharapova, who won the San Diego Classic last week, nearly lost control of the first set but came back from a 0-3 deficit in the tiebreak to win it 7-5.
Sharapova will face 18-year-old Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands in the next round.Serbia’s second seed Jelena Jankovic managed to get past China’s Peng Shuai 6-1, 6-1. Jankovic will face 13th Sybille Bammer of Austria, who thrashed Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-2, 6-1.
Playing in her first match since reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals, third seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia beat American Ashley Harkleroad 6-4, 6-2 and defending champion Elena Dementieva eased past 17-year-old American Madison Brengle 6-2, 6-0.
Dementieva will face fifth seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, who beat American Jill Craybas 6-3, 7-6.
In other second-round matches, fourth seed Nadia Petrova beat American Lilia Osterloh 7-5, 6-3 and Virginie Razzano of France took down slumping number 10 Shahar Peer of Israel 6-1, 4-6, 7-6.
Results on Wednesday:
Second round:
3-Ana Ivanovic (SER) bt Ashley Harkleroad (US) 6-4, 6-2; 1-Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 7-6(5), 3-1 (Daniilidou retired); Victoria Azarenka (BRS) bt Meghann Shaughnessy (US) 6-2, 6-3; 16-Lucie Safarova (CZE) bt Ai Sugiyama (JAP) 6-3, 6-4; 4-Nadia Petrova (RUS) bt Lilia Osterloh (US) 7-5, 6-3; 2-Jelena Jankovic (SER) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-1, 6-1; Virginie Razzano (FRA) bt 10-Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(6); 5-Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) bt Jill Craybas (US) 6-3, 7-6; 15-Katarina Srebotnik (SVN) bt Mara Santangelo (ITA) 5-0 (Santangelo retired); 13-Sybille Bammer (AUT) bt Olga Govortsova (BRS) 6-2, 6-1; 9-Elena Dementieva (RUS) bt Madison Brengle (US) 6-2, 6-0.—Reuters
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