The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Flawless Federer cruises ahead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 20, 2006

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Flawless Federer cruises ahead

MONTE CARLO : World No. 1, Roger Federer stormed through to the third round of the Monte Carlo Open with a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Spanish baseliner Alberto Martin on Wednesday.

Top seed Federer, who dropped a set against qualifier Novak Djokovic in the first round, played close to perfection, needing just 46 minutes to sweep aside Martin.

"I really can't complain," said Federer, who is starting his claycourt season in the glitzy principality. I didn't feel too good against Djokovic but today was just perfect," he added.

The 24 year-old all rounder will meet Monaco's Benjamin Balleret, a qualifier who was 4-6 7-5, 3-2 up against Sebastien Grosjean when the Frenchman pulled out with back pain.

Fighting back

Monte Carlo Open specialist Guillermo Coria fought back from 5-1 down in the second set to beat Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 1-6, 7-6, 6-4.

The Argentine baseliner has played in the last three finals in the principality and won the Masters Series tournament two years ago.

He struggled in a surprisingly one-sided first set and then lost the first four games of the second. Mathieu served for the match three times but was broken each time by his opponent.

Coria, the 2004 French Open runner-up, survived four match points before taking the second set 8-6 in a tie break.

The combative Argentine stayed on top in the decisive set to edge past Mathieu, who had knocked out former world number one Marat Safin in the first round.

Another Argentine, third seed David Nalbandian, was also made to work before moving past Italian Andreas Seppi, coming back from 5-2 down in the first set to win 7-5, 7-5.

Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, who won here in 2002 and 2003, advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela.

It was a resurgence of form for the 11th-seed who has suffered over the last few seasons from a crisis of confidence on his preferred surface.

Kiefer untroubled

Germany's Nicolas Kiefer, seeded ninth, was untroubled by Frenchman Michael Llodra as he earned a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory.

He was joined as a winner by 15th-seeded compatriot Tommy Robredo, who defeated Belgian Olivier Rochus 7-5, 6-4.

The results:

Second round: Roger Federer bt Alberto Martin 6-0, 6-1; Ivan Ljubicic bt Florent Serra 4-6, 6-3, 7-5; David Nalbandian bt Andreas Seppi 7-5, 7-5; Juan Carlos Ferrero bt Juan Chela 6-1, 6-2.

Tommy Robredo bt Olivier Rochus 7-5, 6-4; Guillermo Coria bt Paul-Henri Mathieu 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-4; Nicolas Kiefer bt Michael Llodra 7-6(4), 6-4; Alessio Di Mauro bt Radek Stepanek 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(4); Benjamin Balleret bt Sebastien Grosjean 4-6, 7-5, 3-2 (retd.).

First round: Ivan Ljubicic bt Igor Andreev 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Florent Serra bt Paradorn Srichaphan 6-1, 7-5; David Ferrer bt Nicolas Massu 6-0, 4-6, 6-2; Fernando Gonzalez bt Carlos Moya 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Sebastien Grosjean bt Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (6), 6-3; Dominik Hrbaty bt Daniele Bracciali 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Jean-Rene Lisnard bt Andy Murray 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5; Gilles Simon bt Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-2; Rafael Nadal bt Arnaud Climent 6-4, 6-4.

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