The world’s top tennis trio strolled into the quarter-finals of the ATP and WTA Miami Masters, following a two-hour afternoon rain interruption which sent Tuesday’s program well into yesterday morning.
No. 1 Rafael Nadal lived up to expectations as the Spaniard strives for a first Miami title. The top seed reached the last eight by beating Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1, 6-2 in just 59 minutes.
“It was very, very, very humid. That’s why I’m sweating a lot,” said Nadal, who said the long wait in the locker room did not bother him as he finally went onto court.
It was a similar outcome for second seed Novak Djokovic as he won his 21st consecutive match of the season over compatriot and Davis Cup team-mate Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-2.
“I try not to think that he’s my good friend, that that might affect my performance on the court,” Djokovic said. “We are both professional, we both want to win the match.”
Third seed Roger Federer did not get on the court until well after midnight — the latest start of his career came at 12:37am — but wasted no time in a 6-3, 6-1 hammering of Belgian Olivier Rochus lasting just 51 minutes.
The Swiss earned his efficient win in the early hours of the morning to send his record this year to 21-3 as he beat his good friend and long time opponent for the eighth time straight.
“It was extremely hot yesterday, and then today really late,” Federer said. “That’s what tennis is all about.
We don’t know when we play and we don’t have a set schedule, and so we have to be able to adapt and warm up several times for the match, because you never know what’s going to happen beforehand.”
Former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro was at a loss for words after a disappointing fourth-round ouster at the hands of American Mardy Fish 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).
“It’s difficult to say something now because I just lost a very, very tough match,” the Argentine said. “Maybe in two or three days I can say my level at the moment and what I expect for the future.”
Spanish sixth seed David Ferrer beat compatriot Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-2 and South African Kevin Anderson put out John Isner of the US 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
Tomas Berdych battled to get past German Florian Mayer 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4) and next plays Nadal in a re-run of last year’s Wimbledon final.
There was third-round disappointment for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the French 15th seed was unable to recover in his rain-interrupted match from Monday against Dolgopolov.
Dolgopolov finished off the final set to post a 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 7-5 win and set up a date with Nadal.
In women’s play, battling Kim Clijsters saved five match points to overhaul Serb Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) to reach the quarter-finals.
Ivanovic, a former world No.1, led 5-2 in the final set before second seed Clijsters began her fightback.
The Belgian rallied in championship style to earn her place in the last eight of the last hardcourt event prior to the start of the clay campaign.
“Because I have been on the tour for many years, you realize that you have to keep trying until the last point is played,” Clijsters said. “In tennis, that’s sometimes probably the frustrating part about it. It’s never over until that last shot is played. Even if it’s 5-1. Okay, you start a game 0-0. She has to win four points.”
German hope Andrea Petkovic began fulfilling her promise with an upset of Serbian sixth seed Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Federer’s match was pushed back by an almost three and a half hour marathon women’s match which was won by Russia’s Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova, the 16th seed, was broken ten times and treated by a trainer after rolling her ankle as she outlasted Alexandra Dulgheru 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5).
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but