Tennis News

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CILIC DUMPED OUT BY DEVVARMAN

Sixth seed Marin Cilic suffered a surprise exit in the second round of the ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington at the hands of Somdev Devvarman.

The Indian qualifier posted a 7-5 6-4 triumph over the Croatian to advance to the third round, where he will face either Rainer Schuettler or 11th seed Ivo Karlovic.

German Schuettler was made to battle to earn his place in round two but eventually prevailed 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7/5) against Argentina's Leonardo Mayer.

Schuettler's compatriot Benjamin Becker was also given a run for his money, beating American Robby Ginepri 7-6 (7/3) 6-7 (1/7) 7-6 (7/4) in the first round.

In other first-round matches, Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero saw off Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-0 while Frenchman Sebastien De Chaunac overcame Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 6-3 7-6 (9/7).

In the second round, second seed Juan Martin Del Potro was given a scare by Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan before completing a 4-6 6-3 6-2 win.

Tenth seed Tommy Haas was also taken to three sets by Canadian Frank Dancevic, the German eventually triumphing 6-1 4-6 6-4, while Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic overcame Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-2 7-6 (8/6).

 

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HANTUCHOVA FIGHTS BACK FOR VICTORY

Daniela Hantuchova battled from a set down to sink Melanie Oudin in the first round of the WTA LA Women's Tennis Championships in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old Slovakian secured her place in round two with a 6-7 (3/7) 6-2 6-2 triumph against the American qualifier.

Chinese duo Li Na and Zheng Jie, seeded 12th and 14th respectively, also claimed wins. The former was 6-0 2-0 up against Ayumi Morita when the Japanese retired ill, while Zheng was a 7-5 1-6 6-2 victor against Ukrainian qualifier Olga Savchuk.

Thirteenth seed Samantha Stosur of Australia enjoyed a stress-free passage to round two with a 6-1 6-2 triumph over Romania's Monica Niculescu.

Sabine Lisicki, the 17th seed from Germany, was made to work a little harder but eventually progressed - spoiling the comeback of 38-year-old Japanese qualifier Kimiko Date Krumm in the process - with a 7-6 (7/5) 2-6 7-5 win.

Elsewhere, there were straight-sets victories for Romania's Sorana Cirstea, Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak and Poland's Urszula Radwanska.

Russian pair Ekaterina Makarova and Maria Kirilenko also advanced courtesy of three-set wins against Hungary's Melinda Czink and South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers respectively.

In the evening's second-round matches, sixth seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia outlasted American Vania King 6-4 4-6 6-1 and second seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia battled hard to defeat China's Shuai Peng, 3-6 6-3 7-6 (8/6).

 

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EASY FOR RODDICK BUT TSONGA IS OUT

Top seed Andy Roddick breezed through to the third round of the ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington on Wednesday but third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was dumped out.

American Roddick strolled to a 6-3 6-2 triumph over German opponent Benjamin Becker to advance with the minimum fuss.

Frenchman Tsonga did not find the passage so smooth, however, as John Isner of the United States battled from a set down to prevail 4-6 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/4).

And Tsonga was not the only seeded casualty in the second round.

Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain cruised past seventh-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-3 6-2 while German Philipp Petzschner was a 1-6 6-4 6-1 winner against ninth-seeded American Mardy Fish.

Frenchman Marc Gicquel was 3-0 up against 12th seed Viktor Troicki when the Serbian retired with a foot injury, while American Wayne Odesnik rallied to overcome 13th seed Igor Andreev of Russia 2-6 7-5 6-4 and French qualifier Sebastien de Chaunac was a 3-6 7-6 (7/3) 7-5 winner against 14th-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov.

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, the 2004 champion here, saw off Israeli 15th seed Dudi Sela 6-3 2-6 6-2 to set up a third-round meeting with defending champion Juan Martin del Potro.

In other matches, there were straight-sets victories for fourth seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling, 11th-seeded Croatian Ivo Karlovic and 16th-seeded American Sam Querrey.

 

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SAFINA SATISFIED WITH LA WIN

Dinara Safina admitted she was pleased with her "solid" performance as she reached the third round of the LA Championships.

The 23-year-old Russian, who won the title in Carson last year, was a comfortable 6-2 6-4 victor over Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova on Wednesday.

World No.1 Safina led 3-0 and 5-2 in the opening set - although she was taken to deuce five times before finally serving out for the set.

The second set was a much tighter affair, with Safina getting the decisive break in the seventh game.

"It was a good match," Safina said. "I feel I can improve. It was a solid match. I didn't do anything spectacular.

"We play the same way, so it depends on who's going to take charge of the points, and I think at the crucial times I was more aggressive."

Safina will now take on China's Zheng Jie, who saw off Russia's Elena Vesnina 6-4 4-6 6-0.

Maria Sharapova, who is on her way back up the rankings after being sidelined with a shoulder injury, battled back from a set down to overpower third seed Victoria Azarenka 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-2.

Seventh seed Dominika Cibulkova was also sent crashing out after losing 6-4 6-7 (6/8) 6-4 to Poland's Urszula Radwanska, who will now face Li Na - a 4-6 6-4 6-2 victor over Canada's Alexandra Wozniak.

There were no such upsets for fellow seeds Vera Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova, Flavia Pennetta, Samantha Stosur, Zheng Jie and Agnieszka Radwanska as they booked their places in the third round.

 

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SHARAPOVA SEES OFF AZARENKA

Maria Sharapova continued her comeback with a battling victory over third seed Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the WTA LA Women's Tennis Championships in Los Angeles.

The 22-year-old, who recently returned to the tour following a 10-month absence due to a shoulder injury, secured her place in round three with a 6-7 (4/7) 6-4 6-2 triumph against her Belarusian opponent.

Sharapova's fellow Russian, top seed Dinara Safina, advanced to the third round with a 6-2 6-4 triumph over Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.

Hantuchova's compatriot, seventh seed Dominika Cibulkova, was another seeded casualty on Wednesday with Poland's Urszula Radwanska sealing a 6-4 6-7 (6/8) 6-4 victory.

Caroline Wozniacki, the fourth-seeded Dane, was also knocked out of the tournament, falling 1-6 6-4 7-6 (7/5) to Sorana Cirstea of Romania.

Radwanska's older sister, eighth seed Agnieszka, conceded only three games en route to a convincing 6-2 6-1 win over Japan's Ai Sugiyama

Fifth seed Nadia Petrova of Russia was pegged back in the second set but eventually prevailed 6-4 2-6 6-3 against Israeli Shahar Peer.

In other matches, there were straight-sets triumphs for 10th seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy, 13th-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur and 17th seed Sabine Lisicki of Germany.

Chinese duo Li Na and Jie Zheng, seeded 12th and 14th, each advanced in three sets - at the expense of Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak and Russian Elena Vesnina respectively.

Russia's Anna Chakvetadze, Belgian Yanina Wickmayer and Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko also battled through to round three.

 

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SAFINA BOWS OUT IN LA

Top seed Dinara Safina was dumped out of the WTA LA Women's Tennis Championships by Zheng Jie on Thursday night.

The 14th seed from China stunned the Russian 7-5 4-6 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals in Los Angeles.

The fifth and sixth seeds, Nadia Petrova and Ana Ivanovic, also suffered surprise exits in the third round.

Flavia Pennetta, the 10th seed from Italy, was a 6-3 6-3 winner against Russian Petrova while Australian 13th seed Samantha Stosur defeated Serbian Ivanovic 6-3 6-2.

There were no such worries for second seed Vera Zvonareva or eighth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, however.

Zvonareva beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 7-6 (7/5) 4-6 6-4 and Poland's Radwanska overcame Anna Chakvetadze of Russia 6-3 6-2.

Agnieszka's sister Urszula Radwanska also progressed to the last eight with a walkover due to Chinese 12th seed Li Na's right knee injury.

Russia's Maria Sharapova, who recently returned to action following 10 months out with a shoulder injury, saw off Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko 4-6 6-0 6-3.

Finally, Romania's Sorana Cirstea was 6-3 1-0 up against Sabine Lisicki when the 17th-seeded German retired with a right shoulder injury.

 

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RODDICK STROLLS THROUGH

Top seed Andy Roddick enjoyed another straightforward win on Thursday night but second seed Juan Martin del Potro needed three sets to sink Lleyton Hewitt in the third round of the ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington.

Roddick, playing in his first tournament since taking a break after the Wimbledon final to recover from a hip injury, defeated 16th-seeded fellow American Sam Querrey 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.

Argentinian Del Potro lost the first set to Hewitt but battled back to clinch a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7/2) victory. The Australian had looked down and out in the decider but never gave up, saving two match-points to force a tie-break.

Fernando Gonzalez, the fourth seed from Chile, enjoyed a comfortable passage into the last eight with a 6-2 6-4 win over American Wayne Odesnik while fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling overcame Frenchman Marc Gicquel 7-5 5-7 6-3.

Eighth seed Tomas Berdych was another winner in three, the Czech downing Germany's Philipp Petzschner 4-6 6-3 6-3.

Petzschner's compatriot Tommy Haas, the 10th seed, earned his quarter-final berth with a 7-5 2-6 6-1 triumph against former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

Finally, 11th seed Ivo Karlovic of Croatia saw off India's Somdev Devvarman 7-5 6-1 and American John Isner defeated French qualifier Sebastien de Chaunac 6-2 6-4.

 

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ITF SEEK LONGER GASQUET BAN

The International Tennis Federation have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to increase the severity of the ban handed out to Richard Gasquet after he tested positive for cocaine.

An independent anti-doping tribunal last month gave the Frenchman a two-and-a-half month ban after ruling he inadvertently ingested the drug by kissing a woman in a Miami nightclub.

The ITF had been seeking a two-year ban under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Agency's code.

"The ITF can confirm that, jointly with WADA, it has appealed to CAS the decision of the independent tribunal in the case of Richard Gasquet," the ITF said in a statement.

CAS later confirmed they had received the ITF's appeal and expect a decision to be announced within four months.

Gasquet was provisionally suspended in May and missed the French Open and Wimbledon as a result.

 

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FEDERER CONFIRMS MONTREAL SPOT

World number one Roger Federer has confirmed he will compete at next week's Rogers Cup in Montreal.

The Swiss had been expected to miss the event after wife Mirka gave birth to twin girls on July 23.

But Federer, who won the title in Canada in 2004 and 2006, told tournament director Eugene Lapierre on Friday morning that he will play in the Masters 1000 event.

Lapierre told www.rogerscup.com: "When I saw the Swiss area code come up on my phone, my heart stopped.

"We are obviously thrilled and we have 19 of the top 20 players in the world who have confirmed their participation."

World number two Rafael Nadal has also flown out to Montreal and will play in his first event since the French Open more than two months ago.

The Spaniard has been receiving intensive treatment on the tendinitis in his knees and has admitted he is unsure how he will perform.

Nadal, who is the defending champion, told www.rafaelnadal.com: "I'm very happy to be back training and playing at a competitive level.

"I will do the best I can to get a good result. When you play, you always try to give a 100%. (But) I'm prepared to lose as well."

 

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MURRAY TO PLAY EITHER LU OR CHARDY

Andy Murray will play either Yen-hsun Lu or Jeremy Chardy in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal next week in his first match since Wimbledon.

The Scot, who took some time off after his semi-final defeat by Andy Roddick at the All England Club before a training stint in Miami, has a bye in the first round of the Masters 1000 event.

Murray, the third seed, infamously lost his only previous meeting with world number 62 Lu at the Beijing Olympics last year while he has never faced Frenchman Chardy, who is ranked 36th.

The British number one looks to have a tough task on his hands if he is to match last year's semi-final appearance, with Gael Monfils, Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt all potential third-round opponents.

Murray is also in the same quarter as in-form Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Gonzalez, Ivo Karlovic and Wimbledon semi-finalist Tommy Haas, while Roger Federer is likely to be waiting in the last four.

The world number one confirmed yesterday he would be competing following the birth of his twin girls last month while defending champion Rafael Nadal, who beat Murray in the semis last year, is in the other half of the draw.

The Spaniard is playing in his first tournament since his surprise defeat by Robin Soderling in the French Open fourth round at the end of May.

He subsequently missed Wimbledon because of tendinitis in his knees but has been receiving intensive treatment and returned to training three weeks ago.

 

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DEL POTRO HANDED SEMI SPOT

Defending champion Juan Martin del Potro advanced to the semi-finals of the ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic without hitting a ball on Friday as fifth seed Robin Soderling was forced to withdraw with a right elbow injury in Washington.

The French Open finalist from Sweden is set to undergo an MRI scan to assess the extent of the damage.

The walkover saw Argentinian second seed Del Potro progress to a last-eight clash with fourth-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who overcame German Tommy Haas 7-5 6-4.

Top seed Andy Roddick edged two tie-breaks to see off 11th-seeded Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (7/5).

The American, playing in his first tournament since taking a break after the Wimbledon final to recover from a hip injury, will take on fellow American John Isner in the last four.

In the last quarter-final of the day, Isner ousted Czech eighth seed Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-7 (10/12) 6-2.

 

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STOSUR ADVANCES TO LAST FOUR

Australian doubles specialist Sam Stosur remained on course for a maiden singles title with a battling three-set triumph over Zheng Jie in the quarter-finals of the LA Women's Tennis Championships.

Stosur fought back from a set down to defeat the 14th-seeded Chinese player, who had ousted top seed Dinara Safina on Thursday, 4-6 6-3 6-4 in just over two hours.

Stosur, seeded 13, will take on Sorana Cirstea in the last four.

The Romanian advanced courtesy of a 7-6 (7/4) 1-6 7-5 win against eighth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska.

The two have met once before with Stosur winning 6-1 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the French Open in June.

It was not a good day for the Radwanska sisters with younger sibling Urszula following Agnieszka out of the competition in the evening as Maria Sharapova's comeback gathered pace.

The Russian, who recently returned to the tour following 10 months out with a shoulder injury, triumphed 6-4 7-5 to earn a last-four meeting with Flavia Pennetta.

The Italian beat Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-4 6-2.

 

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BIG GUNS CLASH IN CLASSIC

Top seed Andy Roddick will meet defending champion Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Sunday.

The American, playing in his first tournament since taking a break after the Wimbledon final to recover from a hip injury, dropped the first set against compatriot John Isner on Saturday night but responded superbly to secure a 6-7 (3/7) 6-2 7-5 victory.

Argentinian second seed Del Potro earlier enjoyed a smoother passage to the final, beating Chilean fourth seed Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (7/2) 6-3.

Del Potro is attempting to become the first man to clinch back-to-back titles in this event since Andre Agassi achieved the feat 10 years ago.

 

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PENNETTA VICTORIOUS IN LOS ANGELES

Flavia Pennetta claimed her eighth WTA title on Sunday by defeating Samantha Stosur in the final of the WTA LA Women's Tennis Championships.

The 10th-seeded Italian, who ousted Maria Sharapova on Saturday, triumphed 6-4 6-3 to inflict a fifth final defeat on the Australian doubles specialist.

Stosur, still searching for her maiden tour title, had not dropped a set en route to the championship match but wavered under the pressure in Los Angeles.

The 25-year-old 13th seed hit eight double faults to aid Pennetta's cause and was broken four times by the Italian, who will rise to 12th in the WTA rankings on Monday.

The result marked a second tour title of the year for 27-year-old Pennetta, who also won the Palermo Open last month.

 

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Juan Martin del Potro retained the ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic title on Sunday with a three-set victory over top seed Andy Roddick.

The Argentinian second seed responded superbly after losing the first set and ran out a 3-6 7-5 7-6 (8/6) winner.

Del Potro's triumph saw him become the first man to claim back-to-back titles at the Washington event since Andre Agassi achieved the feat 10 years ago.

"I'm very happy to win another title and defend this championship," said the 20-year-old.

"[Roddick is in] much better condition this year. His game as improved a lot. I beat him, but the difference was so close."

The 26-year-old American, playing in his first tournament since taking a break after the Wimbledon final to recover from a hip injury, was pleased with his week's work despite Sunday's defeat.

"I'm not far off from where I was after Wimbledon," he said.

"This is the start of preparation leading up to the US Open. I feel better about my game now than when I got here. The serve will come around with matches."

 

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CLIJSTERS RETURNS WITH A WIN

Kim Clijsters made a winning return to the professional circuit with a 6-4 6-3 success against world number 13 Marion Bartoli at the Western and Southern Financial Group Open in Cincinnati.

The 26-year-old Belgian is back after a lay-off of more than two years, during which time she gave birth to daughter Jada.

The former world number one, who won the 2005 US Open title, survived three break points in her final service game but came back to see off her opponent in straight sets in a match which lasted one hour and 22 minutes.

Clijsters now faces Patty Schnyder of Switzerland after she beat Argentina's Gisela Dulko 6-4 6-0.

Ninth seed Victoria Azarenka progressed to the second round with a 6-3 7-6 (7/2) success against Estonia's Kaia Kanepi and Ana Ivanovic, seeded 11th, overcame a first-set scare to beat American qualifier Melanie Oudin 2-6 6-1 6-1. The Serb will take on Melinda Czink of Hungary in round two after she defeated Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 6-3 6-2.

Roberta Vinci will take on world number one Dinara Safina in the second round after beating Tatjana Malek of Germany 6-4 6-1.

Venus Williams will be up against Olga Govortsova after the qualifier from Belarus beat Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 6-3 while her sister Serena faces Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine, who beat Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova today.

Anna-Lena Groenefeld knocked out 16th seed Virginie Razzano 6-3 3-6 6-4 while Lucie Safarova won the all-Czech clash with Iveta Benesova 6-3 7-6 (9/7).

 

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CILIC SUFFERS FIRST-ROUND UPSET

Russia's Mikhail Youzhny upset 14th seed Marin Cilic of Croatia, but not the form book, at the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Monday.

Youzhny beat the 20-year-old 4-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-1 to claim his third win in three meetings with the Croatian after also beating him in India in France last year.

Two of Youzhny's compatriots Igor Andreev and Dmitry Tursunov also met in the first round, with the former progressing after an ankle problem forced Tursunov to quit at 5-5 in the first set. Andreev will now take on Andy Roddick, who received a first-round bye.

France's Jeremy Chardy set up a second-round meeting with Andy Murray after he beat Lu Yen-Hsun of Chinese Taipei 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 6-4.

Frederic Niemeyer gave the Canadian crowd something to cheer as he overcame Russia's Igor Kunitsyn 7-5 6-1. He will now face Roger Federer in the second round.

Thirteenth seed Gael Monfils took three sets to overcome 2000 US Open champion Marat Safin 6-2 3-6 6-2, extending his impressive head-to-head record against the Russian to 4-0.

Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland and Germany's Rainer Schuettler each progressed with straight-sets victories over Nicolas Kiefer and Florent Serra respectively.

Ninth seed Gilles Simon hammered home favourite Frank Dancevic 6-1 6-2 in a match lasting an hour.

Argentina's Leonardo Mayer reached round two with a 7-6 (10/8) 6-3 triumph over German Mischa Zverev.

 

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DOUBLES DEFEAT FOR MURRAY

Andy Murray and Ross Hutchins squandered a one-set lead to go out of the doubles 3-6 6-3 10-7 at the first hurdle at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

The British pair raced through the first set against Jurgen Melzer and Jeff Coetzee but the tables were turned and they went crashing out in a third-set tie-break.

The British pair were far more dominant on their serve than their opponents and roared into a 4-1 lead in the first set.

The next two games went with serve, leaving Coetzee and Melzer to serve to stay in the set, which they managed, but the Britons emphatically served out the set.

However, Coetzee and Melzer turned the tables at the start of the second set and opened up a 4-1 lead after improving their points won on their second serves.

The pair then levelled the game up after closing out the set 6-3 with 55 minutes on the board to set up a final-set tie-break.

Neither pair could make a significant break before Hutchins and Murray served for a 7-6 lead but failed to convert the opportunity, allowing Melzer and Coetzee to reach 9-6 and three match points.

They served out for a 10-7 win.

 

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MURRAY IN CRUISE CONTROL

Andy Murray cruised to a 6-4 6-2 win over Jeremy Chardy in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal today in his first match since losing to Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

The world number three wrapped up victory in his first meeting with the Frenchman in one hour 34 minutes to set up a third-round match with Juan Carlos Ferrero or Gael Monfils.

Service breaks in the opening games of each set paved the way for the Scot, who could move up to second in the rankings, ahead of Raphael Nadal, if the Spaniard loses tomorrow and Murray makes the last four.

Ferrero recorded a thumping win over Lleyton Hewitt in the first round, brushing aside the Australian 6-1 6-4.

Eighth seed Nikolay Davydenko won his second-round match against Paul-Henri Mathieu in straight sets, but did not have things all his own way as he was taken to two tie-breaks.

The Russian ground out a 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (7/2) win in two hours four minutes.

Elsewhere in round one, Victor Hanescu beat Jurgen Melzer 6-4 6-3, 15th seed Tommy Robredo beat Alex Bogomolov Jr 6-4 6-2 and John Isner defeated Jesse Levine 6-3 6-4.

 

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EASY FOR FEDERER IN MONTREAL

World number one Roger Federer made comfortable progress into the third round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Tuesday.

The Swiss, who became a father to twin daughters last month having won his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, was making his first appearance since that victory at the All England Club after receiving a first-round bye in Canada.

Federer needed a tie-break in the first set against Canadian opponent Frederic Niemeyer but came through 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 as he began his preparations in earnest for the defence of his US Open title.

Federer fired down 16 aces against his 33-year-old opponent, who is ranked 487 in the world.

He will now face either compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka or Andrey Golubev in the third round.

Andy Murray cruised to a 6-4 6-2 win over Jeremy Chardy in his first match since losing to Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

The world number three wrapped up victory in his first meeting with the Frenchman in one hour and 34 minutes to set up a third-round match with Juan Carlos Ferrero or Gael Monfils.

Service breaks in the opening games of each set paved the way for the Scot, who could move up to second in the rankings, ahead of Rafael Nadal, if the Spaniard loses on Wednesday against compatriot David Ferrer and Murray makes the last four.

Ferrero recorded a thumping win over Lleyton Hewitt in the first round, brushing aside the Australian 6-1 6-4.

Fourth seed Novak Djokovic overcame Canadian wild card Peter Polansky 6-4 7-6 (8/6) in his second-round clash, with the Serbian firing 11 aces in the match.

Eighth seed Nikolay Davydenko won his second-round match against Paul-Henri Mathieu in straight sets, but did not have things all his own way as he was taken to two tie-breaks.

The Russian ground out a 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (7/2) win in two hours and four minutes.

Elsewhere in round one, Victor Hanescu beat Jurgen Melzer 6-4 6-3, 15th seed Tommy Robredo beat Alex Bogomolov Jr 6-4 6-2 and John Isner defeated Jesse Levine 6-3 6-4.