Tennis – Australian Open:Reigning US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro survived an epic five-set match against American James Blake to move into the third round of the Australian Open.
The 21-year-old fourth seed had to rally from behind to overcome his older rival 6-4 6-7 (3/7) 5-7 6-3 10-8 in a match that lasted four hours and 17 minutes under the Hisense Arena lights.
Del Potro’s fellow top seeds enjoyed far easier paths through today, with defending champion Rafael Nadal, fifth seed Andy Murray and seventh seed Andy Roddick winning in straight sets.
Del Potro is aiming to become the first player to win his first two grand slams back-to-back but that bid was nearly derailed early by the 30-year-old Blake.
Both players finished an energy-sapping encounter suffering with cramp before Del Potro sealed the match in the 18th game of the fifth set with a forehand down the line.
It was tough on Blake, who was forced to back up less than 24 hours after playing his rain-delayed first-round match yesterday.
“It was tough for him, playing two days in a row and this five-set match,” Del Potro sympathised, having had a day’s extra rest following his first-round win over Michael Russell on Monday.
“Of course, it is difficult. Maybe I had a little luck because I played on Monday in not too long of a match.
“(But) it was a good match. It was very difficult to keep trying and keep going. You have to be focused every point, every time, and try to take your chance. I had my chance in the last set.”
By contrast, Nadal needed only one hour and 53 minutes to brush aside Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko 6-2 6-2 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena during the day session.
It was a far more convincing display from the Spaniard after his tentative opener against Australian Peter Luczak.
“I think I played the match that I need to play,” said Nadal.
“I played more relaxed. The second round always is easier to play. I think I improved a little bit, but I can still play a little bit longer. It was a very good match.”
Nadal will meet a seed for the first time in the next round after Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber (27) defeated Wayne Odesnik 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2.
Murray was also hardly troubled as he breezed past France’s Marc Gicquel 6-1 6-4 6-3 and then admitted he had been more troubled by the wind on the outside Margaret Court Arena.
“The wind was the hardest part,” said Murray who will play another Frenchman, Florent Serra, next.
“Sometimes you think the ball is going one direction and the wind is going one direction, and then in the middle of the point it can change pretty quickly. That was tough.”
Seventh seed Andy Roddick side-stepped Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 6-3 6-4 6-4 without much fuss and next in his way is Feliciano Lopez after the Spaniard beat 2003 finalist Rainer Schuettler 6-3 2-6 6-3 6-2.
Fernando Gonzalez, the 2007 winner, and Gael Monfils both won for the second day running.
Their first-round matches were also postponed after the opening-day rain, but neither showed any ill effects.
Eleventh seed Gonzalez fired 51 winners as he beat Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan 6-3 6-4 7-5 while Monfils (12) brushed aside 224th-ranked Croatian Antonio Veic 6-4 6-4 6-4.
Monfils will now play 6ft 9in American John Isner in the third round after he ended Irish qualifier Louk Sorensen’s dream run by a 6-3 7-6 (7/4) 7-5 scoreline.
Sorensen was playing in his first grand slam and became the first Irishman in 25 years to win a match at a major in the Open era when he beat Yen-Hsun Lu yesterday.
Only two seeds fell today, with Tomas Berdych (21) bundled out by Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Korolev 6-4 6-4 7-5.
Serbian Viktor Troicki (29) was also eliminated 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7/2) 6-1 by Florian Mayer, who was rewarded with a third-round match against Del Potro.
In the last match of the day, 14th seed Marin Cilic was taken the distance by Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-7 (6/8) 6-3 4-6 6-2 6-4, with play not finishing until after 2am.
Collated Results: Australian Open, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Men's Singles Second Round:(7) Andy Roddick (USA) bt Thomaz Bellucci (Bra) 6-3 6-4 6-4, Feliciano Lopez (Spa) bt Rainer Schuettler (Ger) 6-3 2-6 6-3 6-2, Evgeny Korolev (Rus) bt (21) Tomas Berdych (Cze) 6-4 6-4 7-5, (11) Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) bt Marsel Ilhan (Tur) 6-3 6-4 7-5, (14) Marin Cilic (Cro) bt Bernard Tomic (Aus) 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 4-6 6-2 6-4, (19) Stanislas Wawrinka (Swi) bt Igor Kunitsyn (Rus) 6-3 6-2 6-2, Florian Mayer (Ger) bt (29) Viktor Troicki (Ser) 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-1, (4) Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) bt James Blake (USA) 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 5-7 6-3 10-8, (5) Andy Murray (Gbr) bt Marc Gicquel (Fra) 6-1 6- 4 6-3, Florent Serra (Fra) bt Jarkko Nieminen (Fin) 3-6 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, (33) John Isner (USA) bt Louk Sorensen (Irl) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, (12) Gael Monfils (Fra) bt Antonio Veic (Cro) 6-4 6-4 6-4, Ivo Karlovic (Cro) bt Julien Benneteau (Fra) 2-6 6-1 6-3 6-3, (24) Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) bt Andrey Golubev (Kaz) 6-3 3-6 6-2 6- 3, (27) Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) bt Wayne Odesnik (USA) 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2, (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt Lukas Lacko (Svk) 6-2 6-2 6-2
Women's Singles First Round:(9) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) bt Kristina Kucova (Svk) 6-2 6-0, Iveta Benesova (Cze) bt Kai Chen Chang (Tpe) 7-5 6-2, Tathiana Garbin (Ita) bt (28) Elena Vesnina (Rus) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) bt Kimiko Date Krumm (Jpn) 6-4 6-2, Stefanie Voegele (Swi) bt Melinda Czink (Hun) 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 9-7, (7) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) bt Stephanie Cohen Aloro (Fra) 6-2 6-0, (4) Caroline Wozniacki (Den) bt Aleksandra Wozniak (Can) 6-4 6-2, Julia Goerges (Ger) bt Tamira Paszek (Aut) 6-0 3-6 6-3, Tsvetana Pironkova (Bul) bt Galina Voskoboeva (Kaz) 6-4 6-4, (29) Shahar Peer (Isr) bt Lucie Hradecka (Cze) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-1, (22) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Viktoriya Kutuzova (Ukr) 3-6 6-1 7-5, Sofia Arvidsson (Swe) bt Jarmila Groth (Svk) 6-2 4-6 6-4, Agnes Szavay (Hun) bt Stephanie Dubois (Can) 6-3 6-2, (16) Na Li (Chn) bt Marina Erakovic (Nzl) 6-2 6-0
Second Round:Justine Henin (Bel) bt (5) Elena Dementieva (Rus) 7-5 7-6 (8-6), (27) Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) bt Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea (Rom) 6-4 6-3, Sara Errani (Ita) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) 6-2 6-3, Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) bt (12) Flavia Pennetta (Ita) 7-6 (7-2) 6-1, (15) Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) 6-3 6-3, (19) Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt Kaia Kanepi (Est) 6-4 6-4, Angelique Kerber (Ger) bt (26) Aravane Rezai (Fra) 6-2 6-3, (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) 6-2 6-2, (8) Jelena Jankovic (Ser) bt Katie O'Brien (Gbr) 6-2 6-2, (31) Alona Bondarenko (Ukr) bt Polona Hercog (Slo) 6-4 7-5, Jie Zheng (Chn) bt (24) Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spa) 2-6 6-2 6-3, (11) Marion Bartoli (Fra) bt Sandra Zahlavova (Cze) 6-4 6-4, Maria Kirilenko (Rus) bt Yvonne Meusburger (Aut) 6-3 6-1, Roberta Vinci (Ita) bt Vania King (USA) 7-6 (9-7) 7-5, Elena Baltacha (Gbr) bt (30) Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) 6-2 7-5, (2) Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova (Cze) 6-3 6-4
Men's Doubles First Round:(1) Bob Bryan (USA) & Mike Bryan (USA) bt Michael Berrer (Ger) & Simon Greul (Ger) 6-4 7-5, Rik De Voest (Rsa) & Scott Lipsky (USA) bt Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pak) 4-6 6-1 7-6 (8-6), (17) Jurgen Melzer (Aut) & Philipp Petzschner (Ger) bt Marc Lopez (Spa) & Santiago Ventura (Spa) 6-4 6-1, Leonardo Mayer (Arg) & Horacio Zeballos (Arg) bt (12) Marcelo Melo (Bra) & Bruno Soares (Bra) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4, (7) Mariusz Fyrstenberg (Pol) & Marcin Matkowski (Pol) bt Ross Hutchins (Gbr) & Jordan Kerr (Aus) 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-4), Colin Fleming (Gbr) & Ken Skupski (Gbr) bt Yen-Hsun Lu (Tpe) & Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) 7-5 6-4, Prakash Amritraj (Ind) & Somdev Devvarman (Ind) bt James Cerretani (USA) & Travis Rettenmaier (USA) 5-7 6-4 7-5, (5) Lukasz Kubot (Pol) & Oliver Marach (Aut) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (Arg) & Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spa) 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 6-1, Kaden Hensel (Aus) & Greg Jones (Aus) bt Paolo Lorenzi (Ita) & Christophe Rochus (Bel) 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 7-6 (7-2), Lucas Arnold Ker (Arg) & Horia Tecau (Rom) bt Wesley Moodie (Rsa) & Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, (8) Marcel Granollers (Spa) & Tommy Robredo (Spa) bt Matthew Ebden (Aus) & Brydan Klein (Aus) 6-2 6-4, Johan Brunstrom (Swe) & Jean-Julien Rojer (Aho) bt Alejandro Falla (Col) & Santiago Giraldo (Col) 6-2 6-3, Arnaud Clement (Fra) & Jonathan Erlich (Isr) bt (10) Julian Knowle (Aut) & Robert Lindstedt (Swe) 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-4, Rameez Junaid (Aus) & Peter Luczak (Aus) bt (15) Jaroslav Levinsky (Cze) & Travis Parrott (USA) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, Philipp Marx (Ger) & Igor Zelenay (Svk) bt Nick Lindhal (Aus) & Matt Reid (Aus) 6-3 6-4, Albert Montanes (Spa) & Martin Vassallo Arguello (Arg) bt Jose Acasuso (Arg) & Sebastian Prieto (Arg) 6-4 6-4, (2) Daniel Nestor (Can) & Nenad Zimonjic (Ser) bt Samuel Groth (Aus) & Jason Kubler (Aus) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3
Women's Doubles First Round:(1) Cara Black (Zim) & Liezel Huber (USA) bt Tatjana Malek (Ger) & Andrea Petkovic (Ger) 6-4 6-4, Timea Bacsinszky (Swi) & Tathiana Garbin (Ita) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spa) & Caroline Wozniacki (Den) 6-4 6-4, (3) Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spa) & Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spa) bt Jelena Dokic (Aus) & Petra Kvitova (Cze) 7-5 6-0, (6) Lisa Raymond (USA) & Rennae Stubbs (Aus) bt Mariya Koryttseva (Ukr) & Darya Kustova (Blr) 6-4 6-1, Julie Coin (Fra) & Marie-Eve Pelletier (Can) bt Jarmila Groth (Svk) & Olivia Rogowska (Aus) 6-3 7-5, Yung-Jan Chan (Tpe) & Monica Niculescu (Rom) bt Monique Adamczak (Aus) & Nicole Kriz (Aus) 6-3 6-1, Klaudia Jans (Pol) & Alicja Rosolska (Pol) bt Alicia Molik (Aus) & Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 2-6 7-5 6-4, (4) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Shuai Peng (Chn) bt Julia Goerges (Ger) & Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spa) 6-3 6-4, (8) Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) & Zi Yan (Chn) bt Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) & Melanie Oudin (USA) 6-3 6-2, Andrea Hlavackova (Cze) & Lucie Hradecka (Cze) bt Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) & Tamira Paszek (Aut) 6-4 6-3, (2) Venus Williams (USA) & Serena Williams (USA) bt Sophie Ferguson (Aus) & Jessica Moore (Aus) 6-1 6-1