TheSportsCampus

< Prev		Next >

The Madrid Open had a ‘Wacky Wednesday' as the top men's seeds sailed into the third round without breaking much of a sweat, while the tournament's leading ladies fell by the wayside.

World no. 1 Rafael Nadal an overwhelming crowd favourite at home in Spain cruised into the third round of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Austrian Jurgen Melzer, on a day where Spanish royalty was very much in presence. Queen Sofia was joined in the stands by Madrid's favourite son football legend Raul as Nadal put on a master class to take his unbeaten run on clay to 31 games.

Suprisingly Madrid is one of the few stops on the ATP tour where Nadal has won the tournament just once in its history, hav ing won four times each at Roland Garros and Rome, and five times at Monte Carlo. Nadal won the title in Madrid way back in 2005, last year he was beaten in the semi-finals by talented Frenchman Gilles Simon. The tournament is being held on clay for the first time this year, and one can expect that record to be set straight over the next few years.

In the next round Nadal will take on German Philipp Kohlschreiber, who ousted Croatian No. 13 seed Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-6(2).

Also advancing to the third round was the second hottest man (on form) on the ATP tour Novak Djokovic. In the first match on center court, Djokovic eased past Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 6-3. The Serbian picked up an early break in either set, and was never really tested in the 98 minute contest.

Djokovic is on a run that has seen him make the finals of his last four ATP tournaments, including a win at his home event of Serbia on Sunday. He will next face Italian Andreas Seppi for a place in the quarter-finals. Seppi went through three tough sets on his way to beating American Sam Querrey 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Also making the third round were American James Blake, Argentines Juan Monaco and Juan Martin del Potro, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco and Gilles Simon.

Blake had an almighty tussle with big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic before prevailing 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4). As his reward, the American will have the pleasure of squaring-off with World No. 2 Roger Federer for the first time on the slow European clay.

Dangerous floater Juan Monaco upset 12th-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4. Simon, the No. 8 seed also had it easy against Italian qualifier Fabio Fognini, advancing in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. Simon can expect much tougher competition when he take on Ivan Ljubicic for a place in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile on the Women's side World No. 1 Dinara Safina was one of the few top Russian players to survive the drop as Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Elena Dementieva all bid Adiós to Madrid losing in contrasting fashion on Wednesday.

Safina was made to work hard in the second set as she came from a break down in it to gratefully wrap up the match in just two sets 6-3, 7-6 (2).

Not so lucky was sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, coming into this tournament on a hot streak on the back of a win at Stuttgart and a runner-up performance in Rome last week, was soundly beaten by Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 6-2.
Eighth seed Nadia Petrova, a round ahead of Dinara and Svetlana, lost a thrilling three setter to unseeded Patty Schnyder 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(5), and in another long time rivalry Amélie Mauresmo pulled her 10th win out of the bag over Olympic Champion Elena Dementieva 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
Seventh seed Victoria Azarenka beat the upset bug and Peng Shuai of China 6-4, 6-1.

In the women's doubles Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and Chia-Jung Chuang of Chinese Taipei overcame veterans Garrigues and Pascual 7-6 (4), 4-6, 10-7 to advance to the quarter-finals where they will play Azarenka and Elena Vesnina.

Select Results:

Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) d. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 6 2, 4 1
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) d. Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 6 4, 7 5
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) d. Florent Serra (FRA) 7 5, 6 3
James Blake (USA) d. Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 6(4) 7, 6 4, 7 6(4)
Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 6 3, 6 1
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Marin Cilic (CRO) 6 1, 6(5) 7, 7 6(2)
Juan Monaco (ARG) d. David Ferrer (ESP) 6 4, 6 4
Novak Djokovic (SRB) d. Oscar Hernandez (ESP) 6 3, 6 3
Andreas Seppi (ITA) d. Sam Querrey (USA) 6 3, 4 6, 6 4
Gilles Simon (FRA) d. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6 3, 6 2

Patty Schnyder (SUI) d. Nadia Petrova (RUS) 6 4, 6(2) 7, 7 6(5)
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Elena Dementieva (RUS) 1 6, 6 4, 6 2
Vera Dushevina (RUS) d. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6 3, 4 6, 6 2
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 6 3, 6 2
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Shuai Peng (CHN) 6 4, 6 1

Italian Open File Photograph Copyright: Constantini

 Check out our tennis picture gallery