HAMBURG (Germany), May 16: Holder Roger Federer coasted to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Robin Soderling at the Hamburg Masters on Thursday before second seed Rafael Nadal gave Andy Murray a claycourt lesson for his 21st birthday.

Federer was barely made to sweat by the Swede and Nadal joined him in the quarter-finals of the $3.52 million tournament by beating the 15th seed Murray by the same 6-3 6-2 scoreline.

“Nadal’s forehand is the best shot in tennis,” said Murray. “When you go behind against him on clay it’s very hard to get back.”

Third seeded Serb Novak Djokovic was well satisfied at coming through a bruising match with the Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6, 6-3 but Nikolay Davydenko and David Ferrer fell to unseeded players.

Fifth seed Ferrer lost 7-6, 6-2 against his Spanish Davis Cup team-mate Fernando Verdasco before the fourth seeded Russian Davydenko fell 7-5, 6-3 to Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer in a match that brought the Hamburg crowd to their feet.

Murray has been working with twice French Open finalist Alex Corretja in a bid to improve his game on clay and the Briton did at least manage to put Nadal under pressure at times.

Nadal, playing with greater power and more consistency, took a 3-1 lead in the first set but had Murray taken one of two break points in game eight he might have got back into it.

Murray rallied to break Nadal at the start of the second set but the Spaniard simply raised his game to win it straight back and the rest of the match was a bit of a stroll.

Djokovic, who is fast making up ground on Federer and Nadal, wasted an early break in the first set against the powerful Karlovic and almost paid the price.

The Croat moved a mini-break ahead in the tiebreak but his failure to put away a smash handed it back and Djokovic got the decisive edge with an unplayable return to feet on the next point.

The second set was easier for the Serb, who looks in great shape after winning in Rome last week and can look forward to a quarter-final against Spain’s Albert Montanes.

Federer’s next opponent will be Verdasco after his surprise victory over Ferrer in the first match on centre court.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Third round:

2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt 15-Andy Murray (Britain) 6-3, 6-2; Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) bt 4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 7-5, 6-3; 3-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 7-6(3), 6-3; 11-Carlos Moya (Spain) bt Marat Safin (Russia) 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-1; 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Robin Soderling (Sweden) 6-3, 6-2; Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt 12-Juan Monaco (Argentina) 6-0, 6-3; Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt 5-David Ferrer (Spain) 7-6(4), 6-2; Albert Montanes (Spain) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 6-2, 6-1.

SHARAPOVA IN QUARTERS

ROME: Maria Sharapova battled past Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki to move into the Italian Open quarter-finals with a 6-4, 7-6 win on Thursday.

American fifth seed Serena Williams tamed lively Italian wildcard Sara Errani 6-4, 6-3 to join Sharapova in the last eight, while title holder Jelena Jankovic strolled past Russia’s Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-1.

Serbian fourth seed Jankovic will take on Serena’s sister Venus Williams, who secured a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Russian 10th seed Vera Zvonareva.

Serena will meet French qualifier Alize Cornet, who sprang the surprise of the day with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Russian third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, last year’s defeated finalist.

Russian Sharapova found herself in another fight having scraped past Slovak Dominika Cibulkova in three sets on Wednesday.

The Australian Open champion gained an early edge, sealing a break in the third game with a crosscourt backhand winner.

The Dane hit back in the middle of the first set but Sharapova soon regained the advantage and served out with some big forehands.

The Russian then produced a remarkable recovery in the second set, winning five consecutive games to haul herself back from 5-1 down. She failed to hold when serving for the match but edged home in the tiebreak.

Serena twice came back from a break down in the first set before taking Errani’s serve in the final game with the help of two big smashes and a netcord winner.

Italy’s last hope in the tournament also proved a worthy opponent in the second set, when former world number one Serena again recovered to clinch the match.

Jankovic played assured tennis, mixing her strokes well, but Kirilenko made some careless errors and at one stage blasted a ball into the stands in frustration.

Sharapova will play Patty Schnyder in the quarter-finals after the Swiss ninth seed clinched a fine tussle with eighth-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.

Russian sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze beat Polish 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 to set up a match with Tsvetana Pironkova.

Bulgarian qualifier Pironkova, who stunned Serbian top seed Ana Ivanovic on Wednesday, progressed after Belarussian Victoria Azarenka retired with a knee injury from their third round match when the former was 6-2, 1-0 up.

Results (third round):

7-Venus Williams (US) bt 10-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 7-5, 6-2; Alize Cornet (France) bt 3-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-2, 6-4; 6-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) bt 12-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1; Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) bt Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 6-2, 1-0 (Azarenka retired); 2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 6-4, 7-6(3); 5-Serena Williams (US) bt Sara Errani (Italy) 6-4, 6-3; 9-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) bt 8-Marion Bartoli (France) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7); 4-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 6-1, 6-1.—Reuters