The Pacific Life Open moved on Monday one day after the stunning
first-round exit of world number one and three-time defending champ
Roger Federer.
Federer's defeat at the hands of lucky loser Guillermo Canas
shifted the focus of the $5.3 million ATP/WTA hardcourt tournament
to a wide-open men's field that includes two-time defending French
Open champ Rafael Nadal and former US Open winner Andy Roddick.
Both Nadal and Roddick stormed into the next round on Monday
with straight set victories as the California desert tournament
entered its second week.
Roddick hammered 18 aces as he defeated Olivier Rochus 6-3, 7-6
(7/5) under intense heat in a third round match on the main stadium
court.
The 20-year-old Nadal did likewise, breaking Fernando Verdasco's
served once in each set to beat the Spanish countryman 6-4, 6-4 and
reach the round of 16.
"If he is playing well it is very difficult to beat him," Nadal
said of Verdasco. "But if you wait, you will get your chances,
because he will make mistakes."
Nadal will take on another Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the
next round for a berth in the quarterfinals.
Nadal, who improved to 5-0 lifetime against Verdasco, converted
two of six break point chances and made just 14 unforced errors in
the one hour, 27 minute match in front of a crowd of 10,000.
Nadal raised his record this year to 11-4 and is seeking his
first tournament win since capturing the French Open title last
year.
Nadal has had more success against Federer than any other player
on the ATP Tour, beating him in five of their last seven
meetings.
"Canas is not a normal lucky loser. He is coming back on the
tour," Nadal said. "It is a surprise but always the first round is
very difficult.
"For me it doesn't matter if (Federer) is in the tournament or
not. I have beaten him before. He is always in the other half of
the draw so I have to concentrate on one match at a time."
Temperatures in the main stadium court were ten degrees above
normal, reaching 35 C for Roddick's daytime match.
Roddick served 61 percent and hammered 41 winners to go with his
18 aces. He has hit 33 aces in his first two matches.
"The first set and the end of the second set was really good,"
said Roddick, who hit one serve 236 kilometres per hour (147
mph).
"I played some pretty marginal return games in the middle of the
second set. It was better than the first round and that is what I
am looking for."
Argentina's 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian defeated
Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-0.
Nalbandian said the loss of Federer adds a new dimension to the
tournament.
"Without him it is more open," Nalbandian said. "Everybody has a
chance now to win this tournament. Everybody has to be ready."
Canas, who is also from Argentina, was eliminated on Monday,
losing 6-4, 6-4 to 1998 French Open champ Carlos Moya.
In women's side of the draw, second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
defeated Russian countrywoman Elena Likhovtseva 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) and
fourth seeded Russian Nadia Petrova defeated American Laura
Granville 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the night match.
(China Daily via AFP March 14, 2007)