Miami: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and women's top seed Caroline Wozniacki all earned easy victories on Saturday to move into the second week of the Miami Masters, with Nadal pleased with the improvement in his game.
Nadal beat Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4 while Wozniacki defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 7-6 (9-7)
Two-time Miami champion Federer, seeded third, beat Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-3 to join former great Pete Sampras with 762 wins, good for seventh overall in the ATP records. Federer, winner of a record 16 Grand Slams, still has a way to go to possibly overcome Jimmy Connors who leads the table with a massive 1,242 career victories.
Connors played until age 38. "Hey, a little less than a decade to go for me," joked the 29-year-old Swiss.
Federer was not ready to make much of his latest accomplishment, preferring to get on with the job of trying to win his second title of a season so far dominated by the undefeated 19-0 Novak Djokovic.
"It's nice tying Pete but he could have played for many more years," said Federer, whose next opponent will be Argentine Juan Monaco. "He could still win some matches on tour now if he wanted to.
"It's a funny stat but it shows how long I have been around already, how much I've won, all around the world and all the different surfaces. I've played 10-12 solid seasons, you know.
"I've never missed big chunks of seasons. That's how you end up with so many wins, I guess."
Ailing Andy Roddick became the second straight holder to lose an opening match in Miami as the eighth seed crashed out in a fit of poor health 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas.
"I was sick, I got on antibiotics," said Roddick. He said he came to the court feeling poorly after a complaint which has bothered him for a month or more. "I had a bronchial infection of some sort and I got a little better for Davis Cup (early March).
"I felt fine during Indian Wells and then it came back a little bit when I was down here. When I laugh, I start sounding like a car trying to start," he joked.
"I didn't feel good all day. I've had it dating back to Memphis off and on. That's a little too long, I think."
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the number 15, booked his place in the third round as he defeated Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3. Federer's opponent Monaco won over Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4.
China's Peng Shuai put out women's 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, a two-time Grand Slam champion, 6-3, 6-1.
Seeds Samantha Stosur, Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova all advanced comfortably.
Comments
0 comment