US star Andy Roddick clinched his season-ending Shanghai Masters Cup berth on Thursday, while world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, second-ranked Roger Federer and Andy Murray joined him in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters.
Roddick beat Gilles Simon of France 6-3, 7-5, Nadal swamped French hope Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2, fourth seed Murray defeated Spanish 15th seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) and Federer knocked over Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-3, 6-4 to respect the form book.
Nadal was never in serious trouble as he staved off a triple break point to land the first set and then did likewise in the fourth game of the second set to put Monfils, whom he had already beaten twice this year for the loss of just five games, firmly in his place.
PHOTO: AFP
The modest Spaniard, who now meets Russian sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko — a 6-1, 6-1 winner against unseeded Czech Tomas Berdych in a battle of former champions — still insists Federer is the best, despite what the rankings say.
“I have to win a lot of Grand Slams and Masters Series to say I’m better than him,” said the Mallorcan, who finally dislodged the Swiss from the rankings summit in August after edging him in a memorable Wimbledon final for his fifth Slam before Federer won his 13th at the US Open.
Roddick’s qualification for China means two of eight Shanghai spots remain open.
PHOTO: EPA
American James Blake and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are waiting in the wings after making the Paris quarters, Tsonga shocking his third-ranked Australian Open final conqueror Novak Djokovic in three sets.
“It’s always an honor to qualify — I’m looking forward to it,” said Roddick, reaching the final season showdown for the sixth straight year.
The Nebraskan’s win sends him through to a meeting in Paris with Tsonga, who ousted Serbian third seed Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
Murray earned a meeting with Argentine defending champion David Nalbandian after Verdasco had taken the Scot to a second-set tiebreak on a fast-playing court one.
The 21-year-old took Nalbandian, who got past compatriot Juan Martin Del Potro 6-4, 6-0, to five sets when they met at Wimbledon three years ago.
Murray said there was “a big difference between who I was then and what I’ve achieved since.”
Blake, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Philipp Kohlschreiber, is hoping to edge Tsonga out of a place in Shanghai — but the Frenchman says he’ll keep pushing right to the last.
“I really want to do something big here — I always said I feel right at home at Bercy [stadium],” said Tsonga, who vowed to give nothing away against Roddick.
■ BELL CHALLENGE
AFP, QUEBEC CITY, CANADA
Fifth-seeded Aleksandra Wozniak delighted home fans with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over US qualifier Carly Gullickson on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA Bell Challenge.
Wozniak, vying to become the first Canadian to reach the championship match in the 15-year history of the US175,000 tournament, is in the midst of a breakthrough year.
She won her maiden WTA title at Stanford, becoming the first Canadian woman in 20 years to win a WTA singles crown.
She has soared from 147th to her current ranking of 37th this season and is the overwhelming Canadian No. 1, with no other player from the country inside the top 100.
Kazakhstan’s Galina Voskoboeva prevented an all-Canadian matchup in the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over qualifier Rebecca Marino.
In the only other match involving a seeded player, France’s Nathalie Dechy upset seventh-seeded Olga Govortsova 6-1, 7-5.
Dechy was due to face US lucky loser Angela Haynes next, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Severine Bremond of France.
Haynes, ranked 189th in the world, improved to 3-1 on the WTA circuit this season with the victory.
She made it to the main draw only after Italian Flavia Pennetta pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons.
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