Defending champion Novak Djokovic and world No. 3 Roger Federer both advanced to the Sony Ericsson Open third round in straight sets on Saturday, but crowd favorite Kim Clijsters crashed out of the women’s draw.
Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun retired trailing 5-0 in the first set of his match against 21st seed Juan Monaco of Argentina.
Meanwhile, in women’s doubles action, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner Peng Shuai of China lost 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 to fifth-seeded Russia pair Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova. Taiwan’s Chuang Chia-jung and Alisa Kleybanova of Russia also exited when they were beaten 6-1, 6-3 by Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain and Flavia Pennetta of Italy.
Photo: Reuters
Top seed Djokovic easily defeated Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 6-4, while third seed Federer recorded his 23rd win of the year by beating 19-year-old wild card Ryan -Harrison of the US 6-2, 7-6 (7/3).
The Swiss superstar is bidding to capture his third Indian Wells-Miami title double, having also won the back-to-back US hardcourt Masters events in 2005 and 2006.
Federer has now won 40 of his past 42 matches since last year’s US Open semi-finals.
Photo: AFP
The 24-year-old Djokovic now has 15 wins and just two losses this year. It was his first match since losing in three sets to John Isner of the US in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Top seed Djokovic finished with two aces, one double fault and he won 80 percent of his first-serve points in the 91-minute night match.
Djokovic advances to the third round, where he will square off against fellow Serb Viktor Troicki, who rallied to beat qualifier Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Andy Roddick, the 31st seed and the 2004 and 2010 champion in Miami, dropped nine points on his serve and hit 10 aces to beat Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-2.
The American, who is at his lowest ranking since July 2001, won in 74 minutes. Roddick advances to face Federer.
Fifth seed David Ferrer, who reached the 2005 and 2006 semi--finals, converted four of 10 break-point opportunities to beat 19-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-4.
France’s Gael Monfils defeated Ukrainian qualifier Sergei Bubka — the boyfriend of women’s No. 1 Victoria Azarenka — 6-4, 6-4 in 78 minutes.
Monfils next faces Argentine 21st seed Juan Monaco.
On the women’s side of the draw, Russian second seed Maria Sharapova eased her way into the fourth round, but Clijsters bit the dust after losing to Belgian compatriot Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets.
Sharapova cruised into the next round by dominating qualifier Sloane Stephens of the US 6-4, 6-2.
Sharapova, who is a three-time runner-up in Miami, advances to face unseeded Russian compatriot Ekaterina Makarova, who beat Mona Barthel of Germany 6-2, 6-4.
Former world No. 1 Clijsters saved three match points against Wickmayer, the 23rd seed, before losing 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in the third round.
Tenth seed Serena Williams of the US breezed into the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Italian No. 21 seed Roberta Vinci.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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