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Holder Nadal cruises into third round at Indian Wells
Source: Agencies |
March 14, 2010, Sunday
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TWICE champion and holder Rafa Nadal of Spain eased into the third round of the Indian Wells ATP tournament with a commanding 6-4 6-4 victory over Germany's Rainer Schuettler yesterday.
The world number three, who relishes playing at the California desert venue, broke his opponent in the seventh game of the second set before clinching victory in one hour 34 minutes.
The Spanish left-hander removed his red headband in celebration after a Schuettler backhand flew wide before approaching the net to shake hands with his opponent.
"I'm very happy to be here," a smiling Nadal said in a courtside interview. "Indian Wells is one of my favourite tournaments and I always feel like I'm at home here. I have very happy memories here."
Nadal, champion at Indian Wells in 2007 and again last year, will next meet Croatia's Mario Ancic who came from a set down to beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau 4-6 7-5 6-3.
The six-foot five-inch Ancic played only five months on last year's ATP Tour after being sidelined with mononucleosis and his ranking has since slipped to 694th.
"I know he had a very hard time at home," said Nadal, competing this week for the first time since shaking off the knee injury that forced him to abandon his Australian Open title defence in January.
"It will be a pleasure to play against him in the next round."
In other matches on Saturday, fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko beat Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4 and 10th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco eased past Paraguay's Ramon Delgado 6-4 6-1.
However eighth seed Marin Cilic of Croatia made an early exit, losing 7-6 6-0 to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
The world number three, who relishes playing at the California desert venue, broke his opponent in the seventh game of the second set before clinching victory in one hour 34 minutes.
The Spanish left-hander removed his red headband in celebration after a Schuettler backhand flew wide before approaching the net to shake hands with his opponent.
"I'm very happy to be here," a smiling Nadal said in a courtside interview. "Indian Wells is one of my favourite tournaments and I always feel like I'm at home here. I have very happy memories here."
Nadal, champion at Indian Wells in 2007 and again last year, will next meet Croatia's Mario Ancic who came from a set down to beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau 4-6 7-5 6-3.
The six-foot five-inch Ancic played only five months on last year's ATP Tour after being sidelined with mononucleosis and his ranking has since slipped to 694th.
"I know he had a very hard time at home," said Nadal, competing this week for the first time since shaking off the knee injury that forced him to abandon his Australian Open title defence in January.
"It will be a pleasure to play against him in the next round."
In other matches on Saturday, fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko beat Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4 and 10th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco eased past Paraguay's Ramon Delgado 6-4 6-1.
However eighth seed Marin Cilic of Croatia made an early exit, losing 7-6 6-0 to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
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