Top pair sail through

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:26

Triple Rome champion Nadal comfortably beat Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-2 6-3 while Federer encountered more resistance but still beat big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic 6-4 6-4.

“I got off to a good start in both sets, which is always a good thing against Ivo,” said Federer. “It was important to be solid in my serves, which I was.”

Federer will meet Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who dropped only three games in defeating Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 6-2 6-1.

Nadal will take on Sweden’s Robin Soderling, who ousted Romania’s Victor Crivoi 6-1 6-7 (5/7) 6-1.

There were several surprises on the third day of the event with seeds Andy Murray of Great Britain and Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko making early exits.

Murray received a first-round bye but the Argentinian qualifier Juan Monaco beat him 1-6 6-3 7-5 while Austrian Jurgen Melzer defeated Davydenko 7-5 7-6 (7/5).

Monaco faces Marin Cilic in round three after the Croat overcame Belgium’s Christophe Rochus 6-0 5-7 6-2.

Melzer will face another test when he takes on Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-4 6-4, while Sixth seed Fernando Verdasco was made to work but ousted American Mardy Fish 6-4 5-7 6-3.

Spain’s Tommy Robredo won 6-2 7-6 (7/5) over Philipp Kohlschreiber to set up a meeting with world number three Novak Djokovic of Serbia, last year’s beaten finalist Stanislas Wawrinka beat qualifier Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 7-6 (7/5), while France’s Gilles Simon was a 6-7 6-2 6-3 winner over Italy’s Fabio Fognini and will meet Germany’s Mischa Zverev.

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