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BANGKOK, Sept 29: Roger Federer put a bumpy start at the Thailand Open behind him with an easy victory on Thursday, as British tennis hope Andy Murray lived up to his promise to break into the top 100 this season.
Federer, who slammed his racket to the court in frustration during his tougher-than-expected opening match, dispatched German unknown Denis Gremelmayr 6-3, 6-2 in 61 minutes to reach the quarter-finals in the 550,000-dollar event.
The world number one was taken to a first-set tie-breaker on Wednesday before seeing off dogged Brazilian Marcos Daniel in two sets.
Gremelmayr, ranked 239, put in a respectable performance as sacrificial lamb as Federer stormed through on a day of tropical thunder and rain outside the Impact arena.
Federer, who holds 10 titles this season, improved a post-1968 Open era-best winning streak to 37 in a row on hard courts, standing 47-1 on the surface this season.
Overall, he remains untouchable with a 74-3 record in 2005 and aims to retain his Bangkok title.
He said his first night here was hell as, unable to sleep because of jet-lag, he passed sleepless hours watching Champions League football in his five-star hotel.
Federer was joined in the last eight by British teenager Murray, who knocked out Sweden’s fifth seed Robin Soderling 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5) for a first ever top 100 ranking from Monday.
Murray will be playing in his first career quarter-final at the ATP level when he takes on third-seeded American Robby Ginepri, a US Open semi-finalist.
Finnish sixth seed Jarkko Nieminen overcame Russian Dmitry Tursunov 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
Federer will play Friday against Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, who is building a reputation as a giant killer after beating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon and Andy Roddick at the US Open in the first round.
Muller outlasted Peru’s eighth seed Luis Horna 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
Results
Second round: Roger Federer bt Denis Gremelmayr 6-3, 6-2; Andy Murray bt Robin Soderling 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5); Jarkko Nieminen bt Dmitry Tursunov 7-6 (7/2), 6-4; Gilles Muller bt Luis Horna 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; Lleyton Hewitt bt Justin Gimelstob 6-4 5-7 7-6(9); Paradorn Srichaphan bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5 6-4.
Halsol Open
SEOUL: Results from the fourth day of the US$140,000 Hansol Open women’s tennis tournament on Thursday:
Second round: Tatiana Golovin bt Mariana Diaz-Oliva 6-1, 6-2; Ai Sugiyama bt Martina Muller 6-4, 6-3; Laura Granville bt Nicole Pratt 6-2, 6-1; Catalina Castano bt Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-0; Marion Bartoli bt Saori Obata 6-2, 6-3; Nicole Vaidisova bt Akiko Morigami 6-2, 6-1.
Vietnam Open
HO CHI MINH CITY: Results in the US$380,000 Vietnam Open ATP tennis tournament on Thursday:
Men’s singles (Second round): Mariano Puerta bt Wayne Arthurs 4-6 7-6(3)7-6(3); Rainer Schuettler bt Wesley Moodie 7-6(10) 6-3; Alexander Waske bt Lars Burgsmueller 7-6(3) 7-6(3); Thomas Johansson (Sweden) bt Bjoern Phau 6-3 6-2; Juan Monaco bt Yen-Hsun Lu w/o; Radek Stepanek bt Uros Vico 6-2 6-1; Jonas Bjorkman bt Cecil Mamiit 6-4 4-3 (Mamiit retired); Cyril Saulnier bt Jiri Vanek 7-6(3) 7-6(10).—Agencies
