Easy for Federer, Nadal avoids upset
Source: Agencies |
May 26, 2011, Thursday
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PLAYING an opponent that had never lost a match at the French Open, Roger Federer made it look easy yesterday by winning 13 straight games from the first set to the third.
The 2009 champion at Roland Garros, despite being broken early in the match, beat French wildcard Maxime Teixeira 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round. Teixera is now 1-1 at the French Open after winning his first tour-level match on Sunday.
"He fought hard, and afterwards he was trying to get the best score," Federer said of his 22-year-old opponent.
"The score was balanced for 1-1/2 sets, but even then he fought hard."
Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and 2010 French Open finalist Sam Stosur also advanced to the third round. On the men's side, No. 7 David Ferrer of Spain made it through.
Federer didn't face a single break point in his opening match, and Teixeira managed only one - and he converted it. But then after the Frenchman held to go to 3-3, Federer dominated and didn't lose another game until the Teixeira made it 4-1 in the third set.
"During 1-1/2 sets you're really well focused, and after this you can relax a little at the end of the match. And it was a bit simpler as well at the end," Federer said. "Now I'm very happy with these types of matches. I can practice more and so on, but now I'm really in the tournament, which is a good thing."
Teixeira had beaten another French wildcard, Vincent Millot, in the first round.
"I gave it all. I did what I could," Teixeira said.
"To play against Roger is an incredible experience. I'll never forget it and it will be great memories."
Federer will next face 29th-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, who beat Pere Riba of Spain 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
Tipsarevic took Federer to five sets in the third round of the 2008 Australian Open, eventually losing 10-8.
"I think he's a dangerous player on the big courts against the big players. He played really well against these players, so let's be careful," Federer said. "Let's be ready in advance, because he can vary his game on hard courts, on clay as well. He can do all sorts of things."
Ferrer advanced by beating Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The Spaniard has twice reached the quarterfinals.
No. 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine also made it through.
Wozniacki beat Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-3, 7-6 (6). The Dane trailed 3-6 in the tiebreaker but won the final five points, saving three set points to reach the third round.
"I started off really well, and everything was going the way I wanted it to," said Wozniacki, who is still chasing her first grand slam title.
"Second set, she played better. I started to play a little bit worse," she said.
Samantha Stosur advanced to the third round by beating Simona Halep 6-0, 6-2.
No. 10 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, No. 13 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, No. 14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, No. 17 Julia Goerges of Germany and No. 28 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia also won, while Gisela Dulko of Argentina eliminated No. 32 Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.
Late on Tuesday, Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters enjoyed contrasting wins.
Nadal suffered a severe fright before punching the air with both fists in joy as he began his French Open defense with a dogged win over John Isner, while fit-again Kim Clijsters sauntered through her first match.
World No. 1 Nadal was forced into his first five-set match at Roland Garros and risked becoming the first men's champion to go out in the first round on the Paris clay before finally outlasting the giant American 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
"It's always a very, very close match with John," Nadal said in a courtside interview. "I was there, I fought all the time. In the tiebreaks I was probably too nervous."
The Spaniard is seeking a sixth title in seven years but Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is threatening to break his dominance after a stunning unbeaten start to the year.
Women's second seed Clijsters had not played for almost two months after injuries, including an ankle problem that she picked up at her cousin's wedding.
Despite wearing strapping on the ankle, the Belgian easily outfought Anastasia Yakimova of Belarus 6-2, 6-3 to prove her fitness and lay down a marker in a women's draw largely devoid of grand slam title experience.
The 2009 champion at Roland Garros, despite being broken early in the match, beat French wildcard Maxime Teixeira 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round. Teixera is now 1-1 at the French Open after winning his first tour-level match on Sunday.
"He fought hard, and afterwards he was trying to get the best score," Federer said of his 22-year-old opponent.
"The score was balanced for 1-1/2 sets, but even then he fought hard."
Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and 2010 French Open finalist Sam Stosur also advanced to the third round. On the men's side, No. 7 David Ferrer of Spain made it through.
Federer didn't face a single break point in his opening match, and Teixeira managed only one - and he converted it. But then after the Frenchman held to go to 3-3, Federer dominated and didn't lose another game until the Teixeira made it 4-1 in the third set.
"During 1-1/2 sets you're really well focused, and after this you can relax a little at the end of the match. And it was a bit simpler as well at the end," Federer said. "Now I'm very happy with these types of matches. I can practice more and so on, but now I'm really in the tournament, which is a good thing."
Teixeira had beaten another French wildcard, Vincent Millot, in the first round.
"I gave it all. I did what I could," Teixeira said.
"To play against Roger is an incredible experience. I'll never forget it and it will be great memories."
Federer will next face 29th-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, who beat Pere Riba of Spain 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
Tipsarevic took Federer to five sets in the third round of the 2008 Australian Open, eventually losing 10-8.
"I think he's a dangerous player on the big courts against the big players. He played really well against these players, so let's be careful," Federer said. "Let's be ready in advance, because he can vary his game on hard courts, on clay as well. He can do all sorts of things."
Ferrer advanced by beating Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The Spaniard has twice reached the quarterfinals.
No. 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine also made it through.
Wozniacki beat Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-3, 7-6 (6). The Dane trailed 3-6 in the tiebreaker but won the final five points, saving three set points to reach the third round.
"I started off really well, and everything was going the way I wanted it to," said Wozniacki, who is still chasing her first grand slam title.
"Second set, she played better. I started to play a little bit worse," she said.
Samantha Stosur advanced to the third round by beating Simona Halep 6-0, 6-2.
No. 10 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, No. 13 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, No. 14 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, No. 17 Julia Goerges of Germany and No. 28 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia also won, while Gisela Dulko of Argentina eliminated No. 32 Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.
Late on Tuesday, Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters enjoyed contrasting wins.
Nadal suffered a severe fright before punching the air with both fists in joy as he began his French Open defense with a dogged win over John Isner, while fit-again Kim Clijsters sauntered through her first match.
World No. 1 Nadal was forced into his first five-set match at Roland Garros and risked becoming the first men's champion to go out in the first round on the Paris clay before finally outlasting the giant American 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
"It's always a very, very close match with John," Nadal said in a courtside interview. "I was there, I fought all the time. In the tiebreaks I was probably too nervous."
The Spaniard is seeking a sixth title in seven years but Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is threatening to break his dominance after a stunning unbeaten start to the year.
Women's second seed Clijsters had not played for almost two months after injuries, including an ankle problem that she picked up at her cousin's wedding.
Despite wearing strapping on the ankle, the Belgian easily outfought Anastasia Yakimova of Belarus 6-2, 6-3 to prove her fitness and lay down a marker in a women's draw largely devoid of grand slam title experience.
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