BEIJING, Aug 12: Argentina’s David Nalbandian beat Nicolas Massu of Chile 7-6 (7-0), 6-1 to end the defending champion’s quest for another shock Olympic title.

The seventh-seeded Nalbandian improved to 3-1 against Massu in their first meeting for four years.

Massu turned the tennis world on its head in Athens 2004 when he became the only men’s player to win both singles and doubles titles at the same Games in the modern era.

Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Youzhny had already ended his bid for a doubles repeat with partner Fernando Gonzalez.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal sent out a stark message of intent to contenders for the men’s singles crown with a crushing 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

The Spanish No 2 seed, who will take over as men’s world No 1 next week, asserted full control of the match early on, breaking Hewitt at 2-1 up in the first set.

The Australian former No 1 had played a gruelling doubles match that stretched into the early hours of Tuesday after going to 18-16 in the third set, and his tiredness showed, notably on his backhand returns.

Hewitt, currently ranked 38 in the world, managed to break Nadal in the first game of the second set in a short-lived revival but the Spaniard stole the march again and soon had the match wrapped up.

Also in blistering form on Tuesday were the Williams sisters and the Serbian duo of Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic.

Jankovic, the women’s world No 1 and Olympics top seed in the absence through injury of Ana Ivanovic, beat Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko 7-5, 6-1.

The Serbian broke Bondarenko three times in the second set and put the match away with a lightning backhand pass down the line.

The 23-year-old from Belgrade was wearing a strapping on her troublesome right calf and did not look completely at ease but said she hoped it would continue to get better.

Jankovic’s compatriot Djokovic, seeded third in the men’s draw, progressed confidently against Germany’s Rainer Schuettler, 6-4, 6-2.

But Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko crashed out 7-5, 6-3 to Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Mathieu will join French compatriots Gilles Simon, the 10th seed, and Gael Monfils in the third round after their respective wins over Guillermo Canas of Argentina and Romanian Victor Hanescu.

There was also a win for 17th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych over Italy’s Andreas Seppi, and a win for Belgian Olivier Rochus who was a set ahead of Janko Tipsarevic when the Serbian retired injured.

The Williams sisters both earlier confirmed their status as among the hot favourites for gold in the women’s singles, which has been hit by a raft of withdrawals.

Fourth seed Serena took just 44 minutes to dispatch Australia’s Samantha Stosur, the American eight-time Grand Slam champion breaking at 3-2 and taking complete control to reel off the last 10 games to love.

The 2000 doubles winner’s round-three opponent is French 15th seed Alize Cornet, who subdued a vociferous home crowd in outclassing China’s Peng Shuai 6-2, 6-2.

Serena’s sister Venus, the seventh seed, demolished Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-4.

But two other women’s seeds were knocked out in morning play. Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, the 10th seed, was thrashed by Danish teen Caroline Wozniacki, and Polish eighth seed Agnieszka Radwanska went down to Italian Francesca Schiavone.

Results (x denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Second round: Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Victor Hanescu (ROM) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5); Gilles Simon (FRA x10) bt Guillermo Canas (ARG) 7-5, 6-1; Tomas Berdych (CZE x17) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); Olivier Rochus (BEL) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 7-6

(7/5), 2-3 – Tipsarevic retired; Nicolas Kiefer (GER x15) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4; Novak Djokovic (SRB x3) bt Rainer Schuettler (GER) 6-4, 6-2; Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) bt Agustin Calleri (ARG) 6-4, 6-4; Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x9) 6-4, 6-0; David Nalbandian (ARG x7) bt Nicolas Massu (CHI) 7-6 (7-0), 6-1; Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 6-1, 6-2; Igor Andreev (RUS) bt Michael Llodra (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) bt Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x4) 7-5, 6-3.

Women’s singles:

Second round: Serena Williams (US x4) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-2, 6-0; Alize Cornet (FRA x15) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-2, 6-2; Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) bt Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x10) 6-1, 6-3; Francesca Schiavone (ITA) bt Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x8) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x16) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 6-2, 6-2; Venus Williams (US x7) bt Iveta Benesova (CZE) 6-1, 6-4; Dinara Safina (RUS x6) bt Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1; Zheng Jie (CHN) bt Nuria Vives Llagostera (ESP) 6-7 (7-9), 6-1,

6-4; Jelena Jankovic (SRB x2) bt Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 7-5, 6-1; Ayumi Morita (JPN) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4; Sybille Bammer (AUT) bt Patty Schnyder (SUI x13) 6-4, 6-4; Victoria Azarenka (BLR x12) bt Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 6-2, 6-2; Vera Zvonareva (RUS x9) bt Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Virginie Razzano (FRA) 6-4, 7-5; Mariya Koryttseva (UKR) bt Tzipora Obziler (ISR) 5-7, 7-5, 6-4.—AFP