Big four move into Miami quarters
Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:31
The business end of the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open is upon us and there were some very businesslike performances in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday.
Check out Tuesday’s gallery
At the start of the day the top 11 mens seeds all featured in the fourth round the first time thats happened in 25 years and the big names produced some big tennis to book quarter-final spots.
No one was more impressive than fourth seed Andy Murray, who hardly put a foot wrong in his 6-1, 6-0 demolition of young Serb Viktor Troiki, the world No.41.
Murray will next meet Spanish dangerman Fernando Verdasco, who produced a polished display to get past the tricky Czech Radek Stepanek 6-2, 6-2 on the Grandstand court.
Joining them in the last eight in the top half is No.1 seed Rafael Nadal, who was made to work hard, but who still had too much when it mattered against Swiss Stan Wawrinka, the Mallorcan coming through in two tie-break sets.
Nadal will take on Argentine sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro next after the world No.7 completely overpowered Spains David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2.
In the bottom half we can look forward to another two cracking quarter-finals with second seed Roger Federer up against fifth seed Andy Roddick and third seed Novak Djokovic playing his bogeyman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Federer had too much class for American qualifier Taylor Dent during a 6-3, 6-2 success while Roddick got past Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-6, 6-4.
Third seed and 2007 champion Djokovic was another player who enjoyed a comfortable passage into the last eight, seeing off Czech Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2 but he will have to raise his level again when he takes on Tsonga who has beaten him four times in the last 12 months.
Tsonga was one of the first men into the last eight early in the day when he got the better of fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon, the seventh seed, 6-2 in the decider.
Tuesday wasnt all about the men, though, as two quarter-finals in the bottom half of the womens draw were completed.
Former US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova was the first player into the semi-finals when she got past young Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-1 in the decider.
Kuznetsova will face Belarussian Victoria Azarenka for a place in the final after the teenager outplayed Aussie Sam Stosur 6-1, 6-0 in the first of the evening sessions matches to book her place in the last four.
Wednesday will see another two quarter-finals in the womens draw when Serena Williams plays Chinas Li Na and sister Venus goes up against Iveta Benesova from the Czech Republic.
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