March 18, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1429

INDIAN WELLS (California), March 17: Big-serving Andy Roddick crashed out of the Pacific Life Open on Sunday while second-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced after a battling 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova.

American Roddick, the sixth seed, was beaten 6-4 6-4 by Germany’s Tommy Haas in a second-round match after Kuznetsova came back from an error-prone second set to seal victory in one hour, 48 minutes.

Much smoother progress was made by Swiss world No 1 Roger Federer, Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova and women’s title-holder Daniela Hantuchova, who all won their respective matches in straight sets.

Federer, fully recovered from a bout of mononucleosis (glandular fever), crushed Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-2 and Sharapova maintained her perfect start to the year by sweeping past Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 7-5, 6-3.

Slovakian Hantuchova, a double champion at Indian Wells, breezed through against China’s Zheng Jie 6-4, 6-2 in a late match.

World number three Kuznetsova, who lost to Hantuchova in last year’s final, was relieved to book her place in the fourth round of the women’s draw at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“I just stopped a little bit and lost my concentration,” the Russian told reporters of her slump midway through the match.

“I have to figure out how to start playing better earlier after being 5-0 down in the second set. I didn’t want to go to the third set 6-0 down so I changed that to give me the key to play better in the third.”

Kuznetsova, a runner-up this year in Sydney and Dubai, raised her game in the third set to set up a meeting with Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in the next round.

The 17-year-old Dane, who won the 2006 Wimbledon junior title, brushed aside Aiko Nakamura of Japan 6-0, 6-2 in 53 minutes.

There were two upsets in the women’s event, American Ashley Harkleroad beating eighth-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia 7-5, 6-2 and India’s Sania Mirza scraping past ninth seed Shahar Peer of Israel 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.

In the men’s draw, Haas swept aside 2003 US Open champion Roddick, a winner of two ATP titles this year, in 85 minutes on the Stadium Court.

“Today was one of the matches where I won the majority of the important points,” said Haas, a former world number two whose career has been hampered by a series of injuries and surgeries.

“When I broke him a couple times today, I really played some great points, backhand and forehand passing shots and forehand lobs. And that was really the only difference today.”

The 29-year-old will next meet 30th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who beat Victor Hanescu of Romania 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In other men’s matches, fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko defeated American wildcard American John Isner 6-2, 7-6 and 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile was upset 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 by Croatian wildcard Mario Ancic.

Sunday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Second round: 4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) bt John Isner (US) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3); 24-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) bt Sam Querrey (US) 6-4, 6-3; Mardy Fish (US) bt 31-Igor Andreev (Russia) 6-4, 6-3; 23-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt Marin Cilic (Croatia) 7-6 (9-7), 7-5; 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 6-3, 6-2; 30-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt Victor Hanescu (Romania) 4-6, 6-4 6-3; 13-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Gilles Simon (France) 7-5, 6-4; 22-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) bt Thomas Johansson (Sweden) 6-4, 6-4; 7-David Nalbandian (Argentina) bt Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4); Mario Ancic (Croatia) bt 12-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3; 29-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 6-4, 6-2; Nicolas Mahut (France) bt 25-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 7-6 (7-1), 6-2; 15-Tommy Robredo (Spain) bt Nicolas Massu (Chile) 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5); Tommy Haas (Germany) bt 6-Andy Roddick (US) 6-4, 6-4; 11-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Juergen Melzer (Austria) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3; 20-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) bt Rik de Voest (South Africa) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).

Women’s singles:

Third round: 5-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) bt Zheng Jie (China) 6-4, 6-2; 21-Sania Mirza (India) bt 9-Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-7 (7-9), 7-5, 6-3; Ashley Harkleroad (US) bt 8-Dinara Safina (Russia) 7-5, 6-2; 4-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt 25-Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 7-5, 6-3; 15-Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) bt 17-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-1, 6-2; 10-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt Peng Shuai (China) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; 2-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt 28-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3; Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat Aiko Nakamura (Japan) 6-0, 6-2.—Reuters