Now he will have to face Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus -- and his large contingent of rowdy supporters.
It was a day better suited to hitting the beach than hitting tennis balls.
Bags of ice dangled around players' necks or draped across their thighs. Shade was a precious commodity.
The extreme heat policy was put in effect when the temperature exceeded 35?C. New matches on outside courts were suspended under the so-called heat stress index guideline, which combines the ambient air temperature and court surface temperature. Five matches were postponed when a late storm came through.
Top-seeded Lindsay Davenport struggled in the heat, hitting 42 unforced errors.
"It was a lot hotter than I anticipated it was going to be," said Davenport, who needed 2:19 to beat Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. "It's tough. The courts are real sticky."
She slightly twisted her ankle but said she should be fine by Sunday, when she faces 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded 14th and one of four Russians to advance Friday.
On the men's side, eighth-seeded Gaston Gaudio of Argentina fell to unseeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, appearing in his 55th Grand Slam event.
Masters Cup champion David Nalbandian advanced over No. 26 Jarkko Nieminin. The fourth-seeded Nalbandian will face No, 16 Tommy Robredo, who ousted No. 20 James Blake, the winner in Sydney last week.
Also advancing were No. 7 Ivan Lubicic, No. 10 Thomas Johansson, the 2002 champion, and No. 11 David Ferrer.
Other Russians winning were No. 6 Nadia Petrova, Kuznetsova and Elena Vesnina.
French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne also advanced.
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