INDIAN WELLS – Rafael Nadal booked a fourth round spot by steamrolling unseeded Ryan Sweeting Monday and looks primed to go deep in the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters 1000 event. World number one Nadal easily beat Sweeting 6-3, 6-1 as the two-time winner put any question about his recovery from a left thigh injury to rest.
World number four Robin Soderling became another seeded casualty as he suffered a rare loss this season with his fourth defeat in five career meetings against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (10/8), 6-4. Nadal used a variety of precision serves, thundering forehands and crisp volleys to wear Sweeting down in the 68-minute centre court match.
Sweeting committed four double faults and handed Nadal the victory on a platter when the American double faulted on the first match point. Spaniard Nadal advances to the next round where he will face India’s Somdev Devvarman who beat Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3). Fourth seed and two-time French Open finalist Soderling lost for just the second time this season which has yielded him 19 victories and an ATP Tour best three titles.
Soderling blamed his loss on a foot injury he suffered in the recent Davis Cup and added he has been battling a virus in recent weeks. Kohlschreiber will play Juan Martin del Potro who eased past 20th seeded Dolgopolov 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 in a third round match. In other men’s matches, Spain’s Tommy Robredo crushed young American Donald Young 6-0, 6-4, hard-serving Ivo Karlovic hammered 11 aces in his 6-3, 6-3 win over Gilles Simon of France and Sam Querrey surprised Spanish ninth seed Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-4 in the night match.
On the women’s side, top seed Caroline Wozniacki stepped up her bid to win her first Indian Wells title by snapping a spell of bad luck against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The 20-year-old Wozniacki, who lost to Martinez Sanchez in their three previous matches, swept past the Spaniard in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in the California desert.
Wozniacki, who needs a strong showing in Indian Wells to hold onto her No 1 ranking, dispatched Martinez Sanchez in just 71 minutes.
