GA_googleAddSlot("ca-pub-1197233282945943", "Star_Sports_Skyscraper");

Sports

Monday March 16, 2009

Minnows show Jankovic and Dementieva the exit

INDIAN WELLS: Roger Federer shook off the rust of a six-week break on Saturday, his smooth progress into the third round at Indian Wells a marked contrast to turmoil in the women’s draw.

Two of the top three women’s seeds crashed out of the second round on Saturday — second-seeded Jelena Jankovic and third-seeded Elena Dementieva.

Russian 17-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchen­kova, ranked 42nd in the world, stunned Jankovic 6-4, 6-4.

It was another setback for the Serbian, who finished 2008 ranked number one in the world but has now fallen to number three.

“I’m excited,” said Pavlyuchenkova, a former junior world number one. “As long as you win you’re happy. But I tried not to be very overexcited, because I still have to continue in this tournament.”

Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska ousted Dementieva 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 6-1. The fourth-ranked Russian blamed fatigue, saying early season success that included titles at Sydney and Auckland and a semi-final appearance in the Australian Open had taken a toll.

In all, 15 of the 32 seeded women failed to make it out of the second round.

Defending champion Ana Ivanovic, the fifth seed, avoided the trend, defeating Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 6-4, 6-3 to join top-seeded Russian Dinara Safina in the third round.

Seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland also advanced, beating Australian Samantha Stosur 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Federer’s decision to take a break, rest his ailing back and get in some quality practice paid dividends. The world number two, playing for the first time since losing an emotional five-set final to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, defeated France’s Marc Gicquel 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.

“It was OK,” Federer said. “I was happy. A bit rusty maybe, coming back from not having played. I’m happy I’ve won. That’s always most important.”

Federer, who won three titles in a row here from 2004-06, didn’t face a break point against the 52nd-ranked Frenchman, breaking him in the seventh game of the second set to seize the advantage and finishing off the match with his 12th ace.

Federer, seeded second behind Nadal, and ahead of defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia, said the time off after Melbourne had done him a world of good.

“I had to put in an incredible effort to get back to my level after being sick at the beginning of last year,” said the Swiss, who was hampered in early 2008 by glandular fever and was toppled from the world number one spot by Nadal in August.

“Then it was the Olympic Games in 2008, that didn’t help either. I needed more of a break and more practice. My back was killing me at the end of last year. I just had to take a rest, and this was the time to do it.”

Fourth-seeded Briton Andy Murray also made a winning return to action after battling a virus that sidelined him in February.

Murray, ranked fourth in the world, booked a third-round berth with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Albert Montanes.

Eighth-seeded Gilles Simon of France advanced, downing Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. — AFP

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story

Sports Poll