September 14, 2007	Friday	Ramazan 1, 1428

BEIJING, Sept 13: Fernando Gonzalez continued to revive his game after a disastrous hardcourt summer, crushing fellow Chilean Paul Capdeville 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the China Open on Wednesday.

Gonzalez went 0-4 during the mid-year cement season but has started turning the corner this week in Asia with his first back-to-back victories since Wimbledon.

The meeting was the first between the two countrymen, with second seed Gonzalez moving on to face the South Korean sixth seed Lee Hyung-taik, a winner over German Bjorn Phau 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.

Fourth seed Ivan Ljubicic, a 2006 quarter-finalist, and holder Marcos Baghdatis both reached the last eight with wins over Serbs and will next face each other for the fourth time with Baghdatis 3-0 in the series.

Croatian Ljubicic defeated Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-1 while Baghdatis accounted for Boris Pashanski 6-4, 6-4.

Ljubicic had to play his second match in as many days but had no complaints. The Croatian owns two titles in 2007 from Doha in Qatar and The Netherlands.

The inexperienced Troicki, ranked 139 in the world, was playing in just his sixth career ATP-level match, but he upset compatriot and US Open finalist Novak Djokovic on clay two months ago.

Spanish third seed Tommy Robredo, who has fallen from the top 10 for the first time since May, defeated Germany’s Denis Gremelmayr 6-2, 6-4 to move into a second round match-up with South Africa’s Rik de Voest.

The Spaniard’s poor summer season on hard courts — including first-round losses at the Masters events in Montreal and Cincinnati — sent him plummeting down the ATP rankings.

Nevertheless, he has still reached at least the quarter-finals in 10 events and lifted the fifth trophy of his career at Sopot in July.

Wednesday’s results (x denotes seeding):

First round: Tommy Robredo (ESP x3) bt Denis Gremelmayr (GER) 6-2, 6-4

Second round: Ivan Ljubicic (CRO x4) bt Viktor Troicki (SRB) 6-1, 6-1; Lee Hyung-taik (KOR) bt Bjorn Phau (GER) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1; Marcos Baghdatis (CYP x5) bt Boris Pashanski (SRB) 6-4, 6-4; Fernando Gonzalez (CHI x2) bt Paul Capdeville (CHI) 6-1, 6-2.

EASY WIN FOR HANTUCHOVA

NUSA DUA (Indonesia): Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova on Wednesday erased memories of her first-round US Open loss with an easy win at the Bali International, placing her in the quarter-finals.

Hantuchova, ranked 12th in the world, defeated Elise Tamaela of The Netherlands, 7-5, 6-3, and said she’d already put her poor performance in Flushing Meadows behind her.

The Slovak, who had a first round bye, saved all seven break points she faced against Tamaela, ranked 180 and playing her first WTA event of 2007. Hantuchova next faces Ayumi Morita, one of two Japanese winners.

The 17-year-old Morita, ranked 154th, booked the first of the quarter-final spots with a win over Germany’s Martina Muller, 6-4, 6-0. Seventh seed Aiko Nakamura, ranked 57th, outlasted veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5 with the Thai losing her serve at love after serving for victory, losing the match on her eighth double-fault.

The marathon contest at the seaside Hyatt resort took just under three hours to complete in hot, humid conditions.

Wednesday’s results:

Second round: Daniela Hantuchova (SLV x2) bt Elise Tamaela; (NET) 7-5, 6-3; Edina Gallovits (ROM) bt Yuan Meng (CHN) 6-2, 6-4; Ayumi Morita (JAP) bt Martina Mueller (GER x6) 6-4, 6-0.

First round: Aiko Nakamura (JAP x7) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-5.—Agencies