Demolition man Federer eases into fourth round

Published on Tuesday 18 March 2008 23:59

THREE-times champion Roger Federer barely broke sweat in brushing aside Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-1, 6-1 in the Pacific Life Open third round yesterday.

The Swiss world No1, back in action at Indian Wells in California after recovering from a recent viral problem, outclassed his opponent in a match that lasted 53 minutes on the Stadium Court.

"I am feeling good and winning 6-1, 6-1 there's not much wrong with me," said Federer. "I'm very happy with the way I played today.

"Having the sensation like I had today towards the end of the second set when you feel everything's going your way, you've got his game perfectly figured out and everything you're trying to do sort of works as well, it's just a good feeling.

"I was really happy to break that often and I had no problems whatsoever on my own serve," added the 26-year-old after unleashing nine aces and winning 23 out of 24 points on his first serve. "It was a perfect match really for me." The top seed, who had competed in only two tournaments this season after succumbing to glandular fever at the end of last year, broke Mahut twice to sweep through the opening set.

Dominating every aspect of the match, Federer again broke the Frenchman in the third, fifth and seventh games of the second to book his place in the fourth round against Croat Ivan Ljubicic who upset 15th-seeded Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4.

A protracted rally in the fifth game underlined the near-impossible task facing Mahut when Federer, at full stretch on his forehand, delivered a pinpoint topspin lob to the back of the court to win the point.

Champion at Indian Wells for three years in a row from 2004, Federer suffered a surprise loss in the second round last year when he was defeated by Argentina's Guillermo Canas.

In his abbreviated campaign this year, he lost to Serb Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before being beaten in the first round in Dubai earlier this month by Scot Andy Murray.

Earlier yesterday, seventh-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina scraped past Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6, 0-6, 7-6 in a third-round encounter lasting two-and-a-quarter hours.

Twice champion and holder Daniela Hantuchova reached the last eight at the Pacific Life Open by beating India's Sania Mirza 6-1, 7-6.

The fifth-seeded Slovakian held off a strong fightback by her opponent to wrap up victory in one hour, 55 minutes and set up a possible quarter-final with 2006 winner Maria Sharapova.

Fourth-seeded Russian Sharapova, unbeaten in 16 matches, was due to play Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko late last night.

Hantuchova, who beat Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in last year's final at Indian Wells, broke Mirza in the second and fourth games to storm through the opening set in 39 minutes.

After trading an early service break in the second set, the elegant 24-year-old broke again in the 11th game, when her opponent double faulted, to lead 6-5.

Although Hantuchova then lost her own serve, she clinched the tie-break 7-4, sealing victory with a crunching backhand down the line.

"I thought it was a great match," Hantuchova said after her victory.

"Sania is a great hitter and I was expecting a really tough one today. Just being able to be in the quarters without losing a set feels really great.

"I feel like I'm hitting the ball well again. I'm doing it the same way as last year so those two are pretty good signs. We'll see what's going to happen."

Later yesterday, top-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic was scheduled to play Italy's Francesca Schiavone while sixth seed Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli was due to face two-time former champion American Lindsay Davenport.

Jamie Murray and Max Mirnyi reached the quarter-finals of the doubles with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 victory over seventh-seeded French duo Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra.

Murray and Mirnyi, who won their first title together at Delray Beach last month, edged the first set on a tie-break then claimed the only break of the second set to progress.

The British/Belarusian pair will face a rematch with top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan, who they beat in the Delray Beach final, if the American twins defeat Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie in their second-round clash.