ROME, May 9: World No 1 Roger Federer beat Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic 7-6, 6-3 in the Rome Masters on Thursday to book a quarter-final against Czech Radek Stepanek.
Earlier, Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic edged past Russia’s Igor Andreev 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in his third round match and will face Spain’s Nicolas Almagro in the last eight.
Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko fell by the wayside after he was edged out 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 by Spain’s Tommy Robredo.
Top seed Federer’s fluid tennis met stubborn resistance from Karlovic in the first set. The Croat, aided by some brutal serves, saved four break points in the eighth game and a set point in the 12th before losing the tiebreak.
Federer then drilled a forehand on to the line to clinch the third of three break points in the fifth game of the second and broke again in the final game to cruise home.
Third seed Djokovic had to work much harder than Federer.
After an early exchange of breaks, the 20-year-old Serb took Andreev’s serve in the fourth game with impressive returns and wrapped up the set with a beautifully executed volley.
But the Russian had no intention of lying down in their third round match and pulled back into contention by taking the second set having broken in the fourth game.
Djokovic looked rattled for a spell and came close to losing his serve again three times before regaining his composure to break in the second game of the final set.
Serbia’s world No 3 had to dig himself out of more trouble in the seventh game of the decider before serving out the match.
Davydenko hauled himself level from two breaks down in the final set against 14th seed Robredo and then recovered another dropped service game before losing the match in a tiebreak.
Robredo will face top American Andy Roddick, who took out the last Italian with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Simone Bolelli, a surprise finalist in Munich last weekend. Stepanek set up a match against Federer by ending Peruvian qualifier Luis Horna’s impressive run with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win.
Almagro reached the last eight when Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, last year’s finalist, pulled out of their match with a leg injury.
Juan Carlos Ferrero failed to build on Wednesday’s shock win over fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal and was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka.
Wawrinka will be pitched against American eighth seed James Blake, who rallied to beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
Wednesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Third round: 14-Tommy Robredo (Spain) bt 4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4); Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) 6-4, 6-3; 6-Andy Roddick (US) bt Simone Bolelli (Italy) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; 8-James Blake (US) bt Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 5-7, 7-5, 6-2; 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; Nicolas Almagro (Spain) bt 12-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) – walkover; 3-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Igor Andreev (Russia) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt Luis Horna (Peru) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
SHOCK DEFEAT FOR HENIN
BERLIN: World No 1 Justine Henin was dumped out of the German Open by Dinara Safina on Thursday, losing 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in the third round.
The French Open champion’s shock defeat by the Russian 13th seed meant she missed out on a highly-anticipated quarter-final clash with former world No 1 Serena Williams, the American fifth seed who thumped Polish 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-1.
Holder and second seed Ana Ivanovic struggled against Austria’s Sybille Bammer before emerging a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 winner in the Steffi Graf stadium.
Belgian Henin had comfortably won five previous meetings against the powerful Safina but the seven-time Grand Slam champion was broken eight times on Thursday and looked well short of her best.
The 22-year-old Russian served for the match at 5-0 in the deciding set but the top seed saved three match points and broke back only to lose her service and the match in the next game when she skewed a backhand into the sidelines.
Moscow-born Safina said it was the best win of her career.
“Going into the match I had inside the feeling that today I have a chance,” she said.
Henin, who owns four French Open titles, was playing a tournament on her favourite clay surface for the first time this year.
Looking to defend her title in Paris later this month, Henin said she would take a few days off before next week’s event in Rome to recuperate.
Bammer beat Ivanovic on hard court at Indian Wells last year in their only previous meeting and the determined lefthander broke the world No 2 six times.
The Serb was forced on the defensive in the final set but converted her first match point with a thumping backhand drive down the line to close out the match in 2-1/2 hours.
Ivanovic next plays Hungarian 10th seed Agnes Szavay who beat France’s Marion Bartoli, the eighth seed, 7-5, 7-5.Third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia was upset by 15th-seeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko, losing 1-6, 6-2, 6-2, while seventh seed Elena Dementieva beat fellow Russian Vera Dushevina 7-5 6-3.
Dementieva will next play Jelena Jankovic after the Serbian fourth seed overcame another Russian, Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-4.
Results:
Third round: 2-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt Sybille Bammer (Austria) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; 4-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 6-2, 6-4; 10-Agnes Szavay (Hungary) bt 8-Marion Bartoli (France) 7-5, 7-5; 5-Serena Williams (US) bt 11-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-3, 6-1; 13-Dinara Safina (Russia) bt 1-Justine Henin (Belgium) 5-7, 6-3, 6-1; 15-Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) bt 3-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 1-6, 6-2, 6-2; Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 6-3, 6-1; 7-Elena Dementieva (Russia) bt Vera Dushevina (Russia) 7-5, 6-3.—Reuters
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