CINCINNATI (Ohio), Aug 17: Roger Federer struggled but survived on Thursday, beating Marcos Baghdatis for a fifth time to reach the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters.
The world number one was pleased to get his teeth into the US Open warm-up with a 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 victory over the smiling Cypriot, whom he defeated for the 2006 Australian Open title.
“It was a struggle out there for both of us,” said the Swiss, the 2005 champion here. “Jeez, it was tough to keep the ball in play, you know.
He then broke the solid Swiss as he served for the match leading 5-4 in the second.
But nerves entered the frame, Federer breaking back and then producing a service winner in the next game to advance in 1hr 24min.
Earlier, Australian Lleyton Hewitt revved up his game while Andy Roddick was again left looking for answers after crashing out in the third round, losing to David Ferrer 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
The unseeded Hewitt continued his 2007 turnaround effort by reaching the quarter-finals for the third time at an elite level this season.
The revitalized number 20, training during the grand slam run-up by remote control with new coach Tony Roche in Sydney, carved out a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Austrian Jurgen Melzer and will now face Spaniard Carlos Moya.
Moya, who beat Juan Del Potro 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, needed five match points in a match where the final point was decided in his favour on a Hawk-eye challenge.
Ferrer, who lost to Roddick last March in Miami, remained remarkable on serve, having been broken just once in three matches.
Roddick, the defending champion, hit the skids in the absence of coach Jimmy Connors as he failed to make a dent in the defence of 16th seed Ferrer.
The scampering Spaniard shocked the crowd favourite leaving Roddick to return to the drawing board.
Russian fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko defeated Czech number ten Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Ferrer. US youngster Sam Querrey will play in a fourth quarter-final this season after beating Juan Monaco 6-3, 7-5.
In the evening match ninth seeded James Blake defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero, of Spain, 6-1,
Results (third round):
Carlos Moya (ESP) bt Juan Del Potro (ARG) 7-5, 3-6, 7-5; Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) bt Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 6-3, 6-3;
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 6-2, 6-2; David Ferrer (ESP x16) bt Andy Roddick (USA x3) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4; Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 7-6 (7/5), 7-5; Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x5) bt Tomas Berdych (CZE x10) 6-3, 6-2; Sam Querrey (USA) bt Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-3, 7-5; James Blake (USA x9) bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 6-1, 6-4.
TORONTO: World number one Justine Henin advanced to the quarter-finals of 1.34-million-dollar Toronto Cup on Thursday with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over China’s Peng Shuai.
Henin, titlist here in 2003, has looked sharp in her first two matches of this US Open tuneup, her first tournament since she was shocked by France’s Marion Bartoli in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Henin took her time getting into the match against Peng, feeling out her opponent and finding her rhythm in difficult windy conditions before pulling away for the decisive victory.
Henin broke Peng to take a 6-5 lead in the first set, then won seven of the next nine games to seal the victory.
In one of Thursday’s two night matches, second seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia will meet Sybille Bammer of Austria. The winner of that match will face France’s Virginie Razzano, who dismissed Israel’s Shahar Peer 6-4, 6-3.
France’s Tatian Golovin also advanced, cruising past Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-0.
Golovin earned a clash with third-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who defeated American Meghann Shaughnessy 6-3, 6-2.
Results (third round):
Justine Henin (BEL x1) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 7-5, 6-2; Jelena Jankovic (SRB x2) bt Sybille Bammer (AUT) 6-2, 6-3; Tatiana Golovin (FRA) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-2, 6-0; Yan Zi (CHN) bt Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5); Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x3) bt Meghann Shaughnessy 6-3, 6-2; Nadia Petrova (RUS x6) bt Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-1; Virginie Razzano (FRA) bt Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-4, 6-3; Marion Bartoli (FRA x7) bt Dinara Safina (RUS x9), 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-0 —AFP
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