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MONTREAL, Aug 10: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remained on collision course at the Montreal Masters after coming through third-round matches in contrasting styles on Thursday.
World number one Federer demolished Italian qualifier Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-1 in 45 minutes to reach the last eight but Nadal had to battle back from a set down to beat Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
World number 139 Fognini had upset 13th seed Andy Murray in the previous round but the 20-year-old was outclassed by Federer on Centre Court.
The Swiss now plays former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, saving two match points in the second-set tiebreak.
Nadal survived a real scare before seeing off an inspired Mathieu.
In a first set that lasted longer than Federer’s entire match, Nadal was bullied by the power of the Frenchman’s groundstrokes and one break, in the eighth game, was enough to give it to Mathieu.
French Open champion Nadal dug deep to fight off six break points in his first three service games of the second set and turned the tables by breaking Mathieu in the sixth before holding on to level the match.
The pair traded breaks at the start of the third set but Nadal moved ahead with another break in the fifth game and after repeating the feat two games later, served out for victory.
In the quarter-finals, Nadal will play Frank Dancevic of Canada, who beat Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Third seed Novak Djokovic set up a meeting with number five seed Andy Roddick after he beat Argentine David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-3.
Roddick hammered Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-3 in the night session. Fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko won an all-Russian battle with 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny 7-6, 6-3. Davydenko will play Czech Radek Stepanek, who upset 12th seed Tommy Haas 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.
Results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Third round: 5-Andy Roddick (US) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-2, 6-3; Frank Dancevic (CAN) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) bt Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) 6-7(10) 7-6(6) 7-5; 2-Rafael Nadal (ESP) bt Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; 3-Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt David Nalbandian (ARG) 6-2, 6-3; 1-Roger Federer (SWI) bt Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-1, 6-1; Radek Stepanek (CZE) bt 12-Tommy Haas (GER) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2; 4-Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) bt 14-Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 7-6(8), 6-3.
LOS ANGELES: Maria Sharapova overcame a stern challenge from Michaella Krajicek to reach the Los Angeles Classic quarter-finals with a 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory on Thursday.
The top seed needed nearly three hours to see off the 18-year-old Dutchwoman, losing her serve nine times in the match.
Krajicek also had trouble serving into the wind and sun and Sharapova broke her 10 times.
Krajicek, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals, got up a break at 4-3 in the third set, but was immediately broken back to 4-4.
Sharapova held off two break points with forehand winners and clinched the match on her third match point with a crosscourt backhand service return winner.
Russia’s Elena Dementieva advanced when fifth seed Daniela Hantuchova retired with a respiratory infection trailing 6-3, 4-1.
Hantuchova became the third player to be struck by illness at the tournament, second seed Jelena Jankovic and Greece’s Eleni Daniilidou suffering similar ailments.
Third seed Ana Ivanovic advanced easily with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Czech Lucie Safarova and will face Russia’s Maria Kirilenko, who crushed Argentina’s Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-4.
Fourth seed Nadia Petrova of Russia overwhelmed Katarina Srebotnik 6-1, 6-2 and will play France’s Virginie Razzano, who ended Sania Mirza’s impressive run 6-1, 7-6.
Sania lost her temper after the chair umpire overruled an apparent winner in the second point of the tiebreaker which she finally lost 8-6.
Results:
Third round: 1-Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt Michaella Krajicek (NET) 7-6, 6-7, 6-4; 2-Jelena Jankovic (SRB) bt 13-Sybille Bammer (AUT) 6-2, 6-1; 3-Ana Ivanovic (SRB) bt 16-Lucie Safarova (CZE) 6-2, 6-2; Virginie Razzano (FRA) bt Sania Mirza (IND) 6-1, 7-6(6); Victoria Azarenka (BRS) bt Katerina Bondarenko (UKR) 6-1, 6-2; 9-Elena Dementieva (RUS) bt 5-Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 6-3, 4-1 (Hantuchova retired); Maria Kirilenko (RUS) bt Gisela Dulko (ARG) 6-3, 6-4; 4-Nadia Petrova (RUS) bt 15-Katarina Srebotnik (SLV) 6-1, 6-2.—Reuters
