MONTE CARLO, April 18: Britain’s Tim Henman mastered a South American claycourter for the third successive time on Thursday to surge into the quarter-finals of the $2.95 million Monte Carlo Masters event.
The serve-volleying fourth seed looked completely at home on the slow, red European clay — normally the preserve of patient baseliners — as he out-gunned Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2 6-7 6-4.
Henman was joined in the quarters by a trio of Spaniards, led by second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero who romped through in just 35 minutes against Marcelo Rios.
A recurring knee injury forced the Chilean to quit while trailing Ferrero 6-0 2-0.
The former world number one, who won here in 1997 but also retired in the 1999 final, first suffered the injury in Miami in March.
Another former world number one, Carlos Moya, brushed aside close friend and fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja 6-1 7-5 to join Ferrero in the last eight.
The clay court clash was a repeat of the 1998 French Open final which Moya also won and the victory gives him a 7-5 lead over the 13th seed in head-to-heads.
Moya will meet sixth seed Marat Safin after the Russian beat Argentine David Nalbandian 6-1 6-7 6-2.
A third Spaniard, Albert Costa, also battled through, beating compatriot Alberto Martin 7-5 6-3.
He will next play seventh seed Sebastien Grosjean. The Frenchman shrugged off a hamstring injury to beat 11th seed Jiri Novak 6-1 7-6.
Results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Third round: 6-Marat Safin (Russia) beat David Nalbandian (Argentina) 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-2; 5-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat 10-Andy Roddick (U.S.) 6-3 6-2; 7-Sebastien Grosjean (France) beat 11-Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) 6-1 7-6 (8-6); 4-Tim Henman (Britain) beat Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-4; 2-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Marcelo Rios (Chile) 6-0 2-0, retired; Albert Costa (Spain) beat Alberto Martin (Spain) 7-5 6-3; Carlos Moya (Spain) beat 13-Alex Corretja (Spain) 6-1 7-5.
CHARLESTON (US): Defending champion Jennifer Capriati looked out-of-sorts in her first clay court match of the season, but still fought her way to a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 second round win over Janette Husarova of the Slovakia at the Family Circle Cup Wednesday.
Wednesday’s results:
Second round: 1-Jennifer Capriati (US) beat Janett Husarova (Slovakia) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4; Anna Smashnova (Israel) beat 4-Jelena Dokic (Yugoslavia) 6-1, 6-3; Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat 6-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2; Paola Suarez (Argentina) beat 8-Meghann Shaughnessy (US) 6-1, 6-1; Jill Craybas (US) beat 12-Elena Dementieva (Russia) 6-4, 3-2 — retired; Stephanie Foretz (France) beat Conchita Martinez (Spain) 6-1, 6-2; Alexandra Fusai (France) beat Meilen Tu (US) 6-1, 6-1; Mary Pierce (France) beat 11-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-3, 6-4; 7-Sandrine Testud (France) beat Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2); 13-Amanda Coetzer (South Africa) beat Adriana Serra Zanetti (Italy) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; Anastasia Myskina (Russia) beat 10-Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (9-7).
Third round: 3-Serena Williams (US) beat Nathalie Dechy (France) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.—Reuters