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| October 20, 2007 | Saturday | Shawwal 7, 1428 |
Federer takes revenge on Canas to reach quarter-finals
MADRID, Oct 19: Roger Federer came down hard on an outsider who embarrassed him last March, crushing Argentine Guillermo Canas 6-0, 6-3 to blow into the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters on Thursday.
The thunder off the Federer racket made amends for back-to-back defeats the Swiss suffered at the hands of nothing-to-lose Canas in the second round at Indian Wells and the fourth round in Miami.
Those two upsets half a year ago are among only six suffered so far by the world number one this season, another raging success for the holder of a dozen Grand Slam titles.
It took Canas 31 minutes of play and eight games to finally get one on the scoreboard as the 13th seed levelled at 1-1 in the second set in Madrid.
Federer still maintained a stranglehold on the afternoon, firing up a love game for 3-2 and broke a game later.Canas saved a match point before going down in 53 minutes with Federer never facing a break point and hammering 27 winners.
Third-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic ended the hope of 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory, the Spaniard saving match points in the penultimate game to home cheers.
Djokovic has booked his place in Shanghai along with Federer, Rafael Nadal and Russian Nikolay Davydenko.
Djokivic now plays in a Balkan clash when he meets unseeded Croatian Mario Ancic, who continued his post-illness roll over Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3.
Third seed Fernando Gonzalez improved his chances of qualifying for Shanghai with a 6-4, 6-2 dispatch of Juan Monaco in the third round. The fifth-seeded Chilean played the Madrid final a year ago, losing quickly to Federer.
Results (x denotes seeding):
Third round: Novak Djokovic (SRB x3) bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4; Fernando Gonzalez (CHI x5) bt Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-4, 6-2; Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Guillermo Canas (ARG x13) 6-0, 6-3; Mario Ancic (CRO) bt Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 6-4, 6-3; Nicolas Kiefer (GER) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3); David Nalbandian (ARG) bt Juan Del Potro (ARG) 6-2, 6-4; Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Andy Murray (GBR) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
ZURICH: Justine Henin reached the quarter-finals of the Zurich Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory over Russian Vera Zvonareva on Thursday, but second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova had to battle for two hours before overcoming Austrian left-hander Sybille Bammer 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Zvonareva fought off two break points in the first game and another in the third before making a backhand error to give Henin a break for 3-2. But Henin then hit two consecutive double-faults and mis-hit a forehand to drop her own serve.
Although Henin broke again to lead 4-3, she then had to resist a break point and needed eight game points to hold for 5-3. Having let that opportunity get away, a disappointed Zvonareva conceded her next game service game at love to give Henin the set.
In the second set, Henin broke again to love to lead 3-1, and a further break left her serving for the match.
Kuznetsova looked as if she was on the way to a swift defeat against Bammer, who rallied well and took advantage of a succession of mostly unforced errors by the Russian.
Kuznetsova lost the opening four games, and after five successive breaks of serve in the second set Bammer held to lead 4-2. Bammer also held a break point to lead 5-2 and serve for the match before Kuznetsova managed to level at 4-4 and break again for the set.
The deciding set also hung in the balance as Kuznetsova failed to convert two break points at 4-3, but then broke in the final game with a fine crosscourt backhand winner.
Kuznetsova will now play Italian Francesca Schiavone, who defeated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia did nothing to enhance her chance of competing in the Sony Ericsson WTA Championships in Madrid next month when she was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska.
Results:
Second round: Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) bt Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 6-3, 6-3; Justine Henin (BEL x1) bt Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 6-3, 6-1; Francesca Schiavone (ITA) bt Patty Schnyder (SUI) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x2) bt Sybille Bammer (AUT) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.—Agencies
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