The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : James Blake to meet Juan Monaco in the quarterfinals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 14, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Tennis

James Blake to meet Juan Monaco in the quarterfinals

HOUSTON: James Blake booked his quarterfinal berth in the US Clay Court tennis championships here on Thursday with a 7-6(4), 6-1 win over qualifier Alex Kuznetsov.

Blake, who is shaking off a run of disappointing results, will now meet eighth-seeded Argentinian Juan Monaco, who defeated American Amer Delic 6-2, 6-3.

Blake had been struggling before he posted a pair of victories against Spain last weekend in the Davis Cup — the second in a dead rubber.

However, he appears to be returning to the early season form that saw him reach two finals — including a successful title defence in Sydney.

Monaco also has a title to his credit this year, having picked up his first career ATP trophy in Buenos Aires.

In this tournament, Blake is seeking to make it past the quarterfinals for the first time in six appearances.

Haas advances

Third-seeded German Tommy Haas also advanced to the quarterfinals, with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over France's Nicolas Devilder. Haas reached the semifinals here last year before being forced to retire with a wrist injury.

Haas next faces Croatian Ivo Karlovic, who advanced on a walkover when Argentina's Diego Hartfield withdrew with a neck injury.

The other two quarterfinal match-ups had already been decided.

Spain's Albert Montanes will face American Vince Spadea while fifth seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria will face Argentinian qualifier Mariano Zabaleta. Zabaleta ousted defending champion and fourth seed Mardy Fish in the second round.

Venus Williams cruised into the quarterfinals of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Chan Yung-Jan of China.

The American, unseeded and in her fourth tournament since recovering from a wrist injury earlier in the year, needed just over an hour to win the match on the green clay at Daniel Island.

In the quarterfinals, Williams, ranked 29, meets Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, who eliminated eighth-seeded Li Na of China, 6-4, 7-5.

Williams won in Memphis in her return, advanced to the third round in Miami and made the quarterfinals last week at Amelia Island.

``I've been off so long and I'm eager to play and I'm eager to get my ranking up and I want to play matches,'' she said. ``I'm excited about the snowball effect.''

Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, ranked nine and the highest remaining seed had an even easier time than Williams.

She defeated Mara Santangelo of Italy 6-3, 6-0 in 47 minutes, losing only six points in the second set. It's Jankovic's fourth appearance in Charleston, but until this week she has never survived the second round. Last year, Jankovic lost to a qualifier.

The results: At Valencia (Valencia Open): Second round: Ivan Navarro Pastor bt Augustin Gensse 7-6(11), 6-4; Evgeny Korolev bt Sergio Roitman 1-6, 7-5, 6-0; Marcel Granollers-Pujol bt Gilles Simon 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Potito Starace bt Pablo Andujar 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; Alberto Martin bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-2; Santiago Ventura bt Alejandro Falla 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4.

At Houston (US Men's Clay Court Championships): Second round: Juan Monaco bt Amer Delic 6-2, 6-3; Ivo Karlovic w/o Diego Hartfield; James Blake bt Alex Kuznetsov 7-6(4), 6-1; Tommy Haas bt Nicolas Devilder 6-3, 6-4.

At Charleston (Family Circle Cup): Third round: Jelena Jankovic bt Mara Santangelo 6-3, 6-0; Michaella Krajicek bt Sybille Bammer 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-1; Venus Williams bt Yung-Jan Chan 6-2, 6-1; Dinara Safina bt Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2, 6-2; Anabel Medina Garrigues bt Na Li 6-4, 7-5; Tatiana Golovin bt Shuai Peng 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Katarina Srebotnik bt Jie Zheng 7-5, 7-6(5); Vera Zvonareva bt Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-3.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport