LONDON, June 12: Four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal opened his grasscourt season on Wednesday with a ruthlessly efficient 6-2, 6-2 victory over experienced Swede Jonas Bjorkman at the Queen’s Club tournament.
The 36-year-old Bjorkman, 14 years older and ranked 100 places below the top seed, could not cope with Nadal’s pinpoint power, despite his strong grasscourt credentials as a former Wimbledon semi-finalist and multi-Grand Slam doubles champion.
Nadal, who demolished world number one Roger Federer in the final at Roland Garros on Sunday, looked fresh and moved well despite the transition to grass which he described as difficult.
Nadal has translated his claycourt mastery in the last two years by reaching the final at Wimbledon, beaten each time by Federer.
The two years before Nadal, Federer’s losing final opponent at the All England Club was big-serving American Andy Roddick who thumped down 15 aces to beat compatriot Robby Ginepri 6-7, 6-1, 6-1. Lleyton Hewitt easily defeated Belgian Xavier Malisse 6-3, 6-2.
Second-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic played his usual baseline game to overcome Croatian Roko Karanusic 6-2, 7-6.
Results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Second round: Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) bt 12-Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3; 13-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) bt Ivo Minar (Czech Republic) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Nicolas Mahut (France) bt John Isner (US) 7-5, 6-4; 2-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Roko Karanusic (Croatia) 6-2, 7-6(7); 10-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) bt Marat Safin (Russia) 6-3, 7-6(3); 15-Mardy Fish (US) bt
Chris Guccione (Australia) 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-4; 1-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) 6-2, 6-2; 11-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) bt Xavier Malisse (Belgium) 6-3, 6-2; Kei Nishikori (Japan) bt Olivier Patience (France) 7-6(8), 6-3; 3-Andy Roddick (US) bt Robby Ginepri (US) 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-1; 5-Richard Gasquet (France) bt Simone Bolelli (Italy) 6-3, 6-3.
Tuesday’s results:
Second round: 8-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) bt Joseph Sirianni (Australia) 6-3, 6-2; 7-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt Marin Cilic (Croatia) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Mario Ancic (Croatia) bt 9-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 7-6(6), 6-4; 6-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Sebastien Grosjean (France) 2-0 (Grosjean retired).
First round: 15-Mardy Fish (US) bt Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) 6-1, 6-4; Nicolas Mahut (France) bt 14-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4); Olivier Patience (France) bt 16-Sam Querrey (US) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4; 10-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) bt Richard Bloomfield (Britain) 7-6(5), 6-3; Ivo Minar (Czech Republic) bt Bobby Reynolds (US) 6-1, 7-5; 12-Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Arnaud Clement (France) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; John Isner (US) bt Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 7-6(5), 6-4; Simone Bolelli (Italy) bt Frank Dancevic (Canada) 2-2 (Dancevic retired); Xavier Malisse (Belgium) bt Daniel Evans (Britain) 6-1, 6-1.
BERLIN: Roger Federer bounced back from his crushing French Open final defeat to advance into the second round of the Halle Open with a 6-4, 6-2 win over German Michael Berrer on Wednesday.
The Swiss, a four-time winner of the grasscourt tournament in Halle, brushed aside Berrer to notch up his 55th consecutive win on the surface.
Results:
Second round: 2-James Blake (US) bt Benjamin Becker (Germany) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) bt Tommy Haas (Germany) 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5); Robin Soderling (Sweden) bt 3-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 6-2, 7-5; Andreas Beck (Germany) bt Mischa Zverev (Germany) 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-1.
First round: 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Michael Berrer (Germany) 6-4, 6-2.
Tuesday’s results:
First round: Tommy Haas (Germany) bt 6-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 6-7(0), 7-6(3), 6-4; Michael Llodra (France) bt 8-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 7-5; Jan Vacek (Czech Republic) bt Scott Lipsky (US) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) bt Robin Haase (Netherlands) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Steve Darcis (Belgium) bt Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 6-1, 6-4; Fabrice Santoro (France) bt Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 7-6(4), 6-4; 4-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 6-3, 6-1; 2-James Blake (US) bt Bjoern Phau (Germany) 6-4, 6-1.
WARSAW: Top seed Nikolay Davydenko recovered from losing the first set to beat Czech Jiri Vanek, ranked 82 in the world, and reach the quarter-finals of the Warsaw Open claycourt event on Wednesday.
Davydenko, the world number four, beat the 30-year-old Vanek 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a tough match lasting two hours 11 minutes.
Results (second round): 7-Marcel Granollers (Spain) bt Marcos Daniel (Brazil) 6-2, 6-4; Evgeny Korolev (Russia) bt 6-Potito Starace (Italy) 7-5, 4-0 (Starace retired); 1-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) bt Jiri Vanek (Czech Republic) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Tuesday’s results:
First round: 2-Tommy Robredo (Spain) bt Michal Przysiezny (Poland) 7-5, 6-2; 7-Marcel Granollers (Spain) bt Michal Mertinak (Slovakia) 7-6(2), 6-4; Santiago Ventura (Spain) bt Boris Pasanski (Serbia) 6-4, 6-2; 1-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) bt Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) 6-3, 6-2; Fabio Fognini (Italy) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 7-5, 0-6, 6-4; 5-Guillermo Canas (Argentina) bt Luis Horna (Peru) 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4; Wayne Odesnik (US) bt Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania) 6-4, 6-3.—Reuters
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