Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro joined resting top seed Roger Federer in the Rotterdam Open quarter-finals on Thursday.
Second-seed Berdych advanced with only minimal effort, as opponent Marcos Baghdatis quit with a left-foot injury after 19 minutes on court while trailing 3-0 in their second-round match.
However, Del Potro, the No. 3 seed making his debut in Rotterdam, had a battle on his hands before he finally got past Slovak Karol Beck 6-4, 7-5.
Photo: AFP
On Wednesday, Federer moved easily into the last eight at the Ahoy Stadium when scheduled second-round opponent Mikhail Youzhny withdrew a day before their contest with a left-foot injury.
Federer still had to go out and win his opening match against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, which he did, 6-4, 6-4.
Del Potro had to overcome a slight bloody nose which required a medical timeout early in the contest with Beck. Once that was sorted, it was back to work for the 2009 US Open champion, who advanced with nine aces — his last one earning two match points.
Del Potro needed almost two hours to move into a match against Serb seventh-seed Victor Troicki, who put out Jesse Huta Galung, the last local player left in the tournament.
Frenchman Richard Gasquet, seeded fifth, continued his steady progress at his second tournament appearance, defeating Russian Alex Bogomolov 6-3, 6-2, while Italy’s Andreas Seppi dispatched German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2.
The 16th-ranked Gasquet improved his record to seven wins this season to next face Russian Nikolay Davydenko.
The Frenchman, with six career titles, went through to victory in just over 85 minutes, with four aces and four breaks of the Bogomolov serve.
BRAZIL OPEN
AP, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
Nicolas Almagro of Spain extended the defense of his Brazil Open title to the quarter-finals by defeating Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 on Thursday.
Almagro, the top seed, did not allow a single break point to Hanescu in his victory at the Ibirapuera sporting complex. He had 12 aces and only one double fault in the second-round match which lasted more than two hours.
The 11th-ranked Almagro needed a wild card to defend his title, because he initially was not certain if he would make the tournament because of his Davis Cup duties with Spain. He also won the Brazil Open in 2008.
Second-seeded Gilles Simon of France failed to advance after a 6-3, 6-2 loss to David Nalbandian of Argentina. Ranked 12th in the world, Simon could not convert on any of his five break opportunities.
Third-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain struggled against countryman Javier Marti, but escaped with a 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5 victory after saving triple match points against the 20-year-old Marti. Verdasco, a former No. 7 in the world who was playing his first match since the Australian Open, had six double faults, including four in the final set.
Also, fifth-seeded Carlos Berlocq of Argentina defeated Potito Starace of Italy 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, converting five of the 13 break points he got in the nearly two-hour match. Eighth-seeded Albert Ramos of Spain ousted big-server Igor Andreev of Russia 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4).
Italian Filippo Volandri defeated Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in two hours and nine minutes, while Leonardo Mayer of Argentina advanced by beating Jeremy Chardy of France 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Almagro is scheduled to face Berlocq in the quarter-finals, while Verdasco is set to play Ramos. Homecrowd favorite Thomaz Bellucci is to play Mayer and Nalbandian is scheduled to face Volandri.
SAP OPEN
AFP, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
Belgian Steve Darcis upset Czech fourth-seed Radek Stepanek 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2) on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the SAP Open.
Darcis, ranked 72nd in the world, will next face French fifth seed Julien Benneteau, who ousted Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 6-2, 6-4 in another second-round match at the indoor hardcourt event.
In his 10th professional season, 27-year-old Darcis is seeking his third ATP title, after a 2007 triumph in Amersfoort and a 2008 victory in Memphis.
French top-seed Gael Monfils withdrew with a right-knee injury and was replaced by US lucky loser Blake Strode, who was eliminated by Bulgarian Dimitar Kutrovsky 7-5, 6-3.
South African sixth seed Kevin Anderson dispatched Australian Matthew Ebden 6-1, 6-2 to book a quarter-final date against defending champion and third seed Milos Raonic of Canada.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely