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Federer, Djokovic, Roddick reach third round at Madrid Masters

Wed 15th, October 2008

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - U.S. Open champion Roger Federer, Australian Open titlist Novak Djokovic and former world No. 1 Andy Roddick highlighted Wednesday's second-round winners at the $2.78 million Madrid Masters -- the eighth of nine ATP Masters Series events this year.

The second-seeded Swiss Federer, playing his first ATP match since capturing a fifth straight U.S. Open title last month, drove past dangerous Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) on the indoor hardcourt at Madrid Arena.

The 13-time major champion and 2006 Madrid titlist Federer was upset by Argentine star David Nalbandian in last year's finale here.

Federer's third-round opponent on Thursday will be Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.

The third-seeded Djokovic was leading qualifier Victor Hanescu 3-1 in the third set on Day 4 when the Romanian retired due to a leg injury. The Serbian Djokovic dropped the first set 6-7 (8-10) and won the second 7-6 (8-6) before embarking on the abbreviated third.

Up next for Djokovic will be 6-foot-10 Croatian slugger Ivo Karlovic.

An eighth-seeded Roddick rolled past Spanish crowd favorite Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4 in a brisk 68 minutes to setup a third-rounder against French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils. Roddick fired 13 aces at the overmatched Robredo, who failed to break the American's massive serve throughout.

Upsets came when American qualifier Robby Ginepri took out fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, Feliciano Lopez upended sixth-seeded fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) and the French Monfils toppled 12th-seeded Olympic silver medalist Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 6-4. Monfils was a runner-up in Vienna last week. The Chilean Gonzalez reached the final here in Madrid in 2006, losing to Federer.

Meanwhile, a seventh-seeded and defending Madrid champion Nalbandian got past big Czech Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, ninth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro downed Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 4-2 and 10th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka overcame German Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). Nieminen retired in the second set against del Potro due to a leg injury. Nalbandian, who also reached the Madrid finale in 2004, is fresh off his title in Stockholm last week.

In other second-round action, a 14th-seeded Karlovic snuck past last week's Stockholm runner-up Robin Soderling, of Sweden, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (10-8) and a 16th-seeded Tsonga came back to beat Spanish qualifier Marcel Granollers 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).

In addition to Federer-Tsonga, Djokovic-Karlovic and Roddick-Monfils here on Thursday, world No. 1 Spanish hero Rafael Nadal will take on 15th-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet. The 2005 Madrid titlist Nadal is the reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champ.

Some other marquee third-rounders on Day 5 will pit fourth-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray against rising Croat Marin Cilic and Nalbandian versus his Argentine countryman del Potro.

The 2008 Madrid titlist will collect $490,000.