Defending champion Rafael Nadal took his clay-court winning streak to 55 matches on Friday as he moved smoothly into the French Open third round.
But 2004 champion Gaston Gaudio hammered out an ominous warning that he is returning to his best form by disposing of 2003 winner Juan Carlos Ferrero to move into the last 16.
Nadal easily dispensed with the challenge of American lucky loser Kevin Kim 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in a match held over from Thursday because of rain, and the teenager now faces French 29th seed Paul-Henri Mathieu for a fourth-round spot.
Gaudio’s reward for his marathon 3hr 15min win over Ferrero is a last-16 date with 1998 champion Carlos Moya of Spain, the 30th seed, or Russian sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko.
America’s James Blake, the eighth seed and whose career was at such a low 12 months ago that he had to play the qualifying rounds here, recovered from a first-set loss to defeat dangerous Spanish teenager Nicolas Almagro.
Blake had dropped the opening set when play was suspended on Thursday but he thrived in the sunnier, faster conditions on Friday to record a 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 win.
The American now faces French 25th seed Gael Monfils for a place in the quarterfinals. Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters ruthlessly exposed the gulf in talent in women’s tennis when they stormed effortlessly into the third round.
Hingis, the 12th seed and playing at Roland Garros for the first time in five years, crushed Zuzana Ondraskova of the Czech Republic, ranked a lowly 114 in the world, 6-1, 6-3 in just 49 minutes.
Clijsters, the second seed, took six minutes longer to see off Spain’s Conchita Martinez Granados, the world’s 95th best player, 6-0, 6-3.
With the courts bathed in sunshine for the first time this week, Hingis powered through the first set against Ondraskova in just 18 minutes before the 26-year-old Czech woman managed to muster brief resistance in the second coming back from 4-0 down to 4-3.
”It was a very solid performance,” said Hingis, who now faces Croatia’s Ivana Lisjak for a place in the last 16. ”I served well, moved well and I feel like it’s all coming together. I hope it continues like that as I want to save the best till last.”
Hingis collected three Australian Opens as well as a Wimbledon and US Open title in her first spell on the tour, which was ended in 2002 by a foot injury.
But the French Open always eluded her, with runners-up spots in 1997 and 1999 the closest she came to the crown.
Clijsters was equally impressive at the start of her second-round tie, although her Spanish opponent at least managed to break serve in the second set before the inevitable conclusion.
”I tried to go for my shots too early in the rallies in the second set and I missed them,” said Clijsters, the runner-up to compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne in the 2003 final.
”I went 2-3 down but I got my game back to where it should be.”
The Belgian now takes on Spanish 26th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues for a place in the last 16. Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, the Swiss seventh seed, reached the fourth round with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-0 win over Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine.
Schnyder now faces either American 11th seed Venus Williams or Karolina Sprem of Croatia for a place in the quarterfinals.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian eighth seed, beat China’s Li Na 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to also reach the fourth round. She now faces either ninth seed Francesca Schiavone or 17th seed Flavia Pennetta, both from Italy, for a place in the quarterfinals.
Later on Friday, world number one Roger Federer, chasing the only Grand Slam title to have eluded him, was taking on Chile’s Olympic champion Nicolas Massu for a place in the last 16.
Women’s top seed Amelie Mauresmo was facing Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic for a last 16 spot while Maria Sharapova, the fourth seed, was taking on Australia’s Alicia Molik also in a third-round clash. — AFP
