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Nadal advances to third round by defeating Mello

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns to Ricardo Mello of Brazil during the Sony Ericsson Open on Friday in Miami, Florida. Nadal won 7-6 (9/7), 6-2. PHOTO: AFP

Rafael Nadal launched his bid for a second ATP Masters Series title in as many tournaments with a second-round victory over Ricardo Mello in the US$6.9 million Sony Ericsson Open on Friday.

The second-seeded Spaniard, who won his first title this year at the Indian Wells Masters Series event on Sunday, defied difficult conditions to beat Brazil's Mello 7-6 (9/7), 6-2.

Nadal, third-seeded US player Andy Roddick and 12th-seeded Scottish teen Andy Murray all advanced, but eighth-seeded US player James Blake was ousted by France's Florent Serra and Australian Lleyton Hewitt withdrew before his match with a sore back.

On the women's side, second-seeded Justine Henin of Belgium reached the third round, as did fourth-seeded compatriot Kim Clijsters and Indian Wells women's winner Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, the 16th seed.

After rain caused delays of more than five hours on Thursday, Nadal said the big problem on Friday was the wind.

"The thing today was the wind," said Nadal, who fought off a set point in the first-set tiebreaker. "A lot of wind and the wind changes all the time."

"So it was very, very difficult. I arrived here with a lot of confidence after playing very good tennis at Indian Wells, but it was a tough match," he said. "So it's important to have the victory."

Nadal has had mixed fortunes in recent years here. He lost a close final to world No. 1 Roger Federer in 2005, but was ousted in the second round last year.

In the third round, he'll face Belgian Olivier Rochus, who beat Spain's Guillermo Lopez Garcia 6-3, 6-4.

Roddick eased past Argentina's Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-3, 6-2 to book a third-round clash with France's Gilles Simon, who dispatched Peru's Luis Horna.

Serra, who is ranked 64th in the world, avenged an Indian Wells loss to Blake with a 7-6 (10/8), 2-6, 6-3 victory. He faces Spain's Feliciano Lopez next.

"It's a bad day," Blake said. "I hit two bad points in the tiebreaker where I kind of gave away points and then second set got rolling."
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