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 World No. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer (pictured) avenged his back-to-back defeats to Guillermo Canas in March by dropping just three games 6-0, 6-3 to advance to the Mutua Madrilena Masters quarterfinals in just 53 minutes. It was the second-fewest number of games that Federer has lost this season in 62 matches; in Montreal he defeated Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-1 in the second round.
Federer broke serve four times and conceded just nine points on serve in recording his 56th victory of the season and extending his winning streak to 16 matches in a row. The 26-year-old has reached the final at nine of 12 events entered in 2007, coming away with six titles including the Australian Open (d. Gonzalez), Wimbledon (d. Nadal) and the US Open (d. Djokovic) – his 10th, 11th and 12th Grand Slam titles. The Swiss also finished runner-up in Roland Garros (l. to Nadal) and is the first man in history to reach all four Grand Slam finals two years in a row.
Thursday: Nadal, Gonzalez Advance to Madrid Quarterfinals
Federer (watch interview) has won 14 career ATP Masters Series shields, including 10 since 2005. He added two more to his collection this year with victories in AMS Hamburg (d. Nadal) and Cincinnati (d. Blake). Since playing his first AMS event in Miami 1999, he has a career record of 153-45. He next will face either qualifier Stefan Koubek or wild card Feliciano Lopez.
Canas (3-2) remains, with Rafael Nadal (8-5), as the only active players to have recorded three wins and own a winning record over Federer. The 29-year-old Argentine has shaved nine tenths off his ranking since the start of the year, improving from No. 142 to No. 14. He won the title in Costa do Sauipe (d. Ferrero) and made the final in AMS Miami (l. to Djokovic). Canas has a 45-33 career record in AMS events, winning one shield in 2002 Canada (d. Roddick).
Federer takes a 5-0 lifetime record into his quarterfinal match against Spanish wild card Feliciano Lopez, who defeated Austrian qualifier Stefan Koubek 7-6(9), 6-1 to advance to the Madrid quarterfinals for the second time in his career. In 2003, he also faced Federer at this stage and lost in three sets. The two last met in the fourth round of the US Open, where Lopez assumed the set lead before succumbing in four.
After reaching the quarterfinals or better twice in his first 19 ATP events of the year, Lopez came to Madrid on back-to-back quarterfinal runs to kick off fall season, at the International Series Gold events in Tokyo (l. to Ferrer) and Vienna (l. to Wawrinka).
 Third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic (pictured left) secured his place in the quarterfinals with a hard fought victory over Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours and 12 minutes. The World No. 3 converted two of 10 break points in recording his 67th victory of the season; the most number of wins on the ATP circuit in 2007.
2007 has been a breakthrough season for Djokovic (watch interview), who reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 on July 9. He has won five titles, including ATP Masters Series victories in Miami (d. Canas) and Montreal (d. Federer), reached the US Open final (l. to Federer) and made the semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, losing to Nadal on both occasions.
World No. 23 Ferrero’s last ATP singles title came 88 events ago in 2003 when he defeated Massu to claim the Madrid crown. The former World No. 1 (September 8, 2003) and 2003 French Open champion has a 106-60 record in AMS events, winning four titles and is just one of 10 active players to have won 100 or more matches. Since losing in the first round of the US Open, Ferrero reached the semifinals in Vienna last week (l. to Wawrinka). He slips to 34-22 for the season.
The 20-year-old Djokovic is making his second appearance in Madrid - he reached the quarterfinals on his debut last year (l. to Gonzalez). He next will face Croatian Mario Ancic who hit 11 aces to advance to the quarterfinals at the expense of Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 34 minutes. World No. 49 Ancic, who has missed most of 2007 through mononucleosis and a shoulder injury, made the quarterfinals in Stockholm last week (l. to T Johansson). He now improves to 11-8 for the season while World No. 21 Mathieu, a two-time titlist in 2007, slips to 44-22.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Djokovic: I didn’t play so far on the level I can play, but the most important thing is that I won and I’m through to the quarterfinals. It’s been a long year and I’ve played so many matches, I’m only 20-years-old and obviously I was not preparing for this kind of big success. And that’s why maybe in some stages physically or mentally I don’t look so effective. My goal for this year is to play well in important tournaments, here to finish well and then Paris and Shanghai, which is the most important tournament for me till the end of the year and it’s obviously a big pleasure to play there.
[On Ferrero:] He’s still a pretty good player and obviously for him it’s very difficult to come back. Obviously he has a lot of experience and he’s trying to come back and so far he’s doing well but he’s struggling to get to the Top 10 and struggling to get consistent with the big results. Tthe game is much faster now, things have changed. Hopefully he can get back to the shape because he’s a great player, a very good sportsman and he has a nice game.
Wednesday: Nadal, Djokovic Avoid Seed Exodus in Madrid
Wednesday: Gonzalez Survives Test for Third Round Berth
Tuesday: Defending Champion Federer into Third Round
Tuesday: In-form Karlovic Beats 2004 Winner Safin
Monday: Murray Sets Up Second Round Meeting with Chela
Monday: Monaco to Meet Shanghai Hope Haas
Madrid Preview: Well-Rested Federer Embarks on Title Defense
Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid Tournament Profile |
