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Robredo wrecks Ivanesevic`s comeback
Milan, Feb 13: Defending champion Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands and Spain`s Tommy Robredo were the only seeded players to advance Thursday in the second round of the Milan Indoors.
Milan, Feb 13: Defending champion Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands and Spain's Tommy Robredo were the only seeded players to advance Thursday in the second round of the Milan Indoors.
The second-seeded Verkerk had little difficulty with Nicolas Escude, 6-3, 6-4, and will face Frenchman Gregory Carraz in the quarterfinals of this $380,000 indoor tournament.
Verkerk reached the semifinals at Syndey to start the season before being bounced in the first round of the Australian Open by Alex Corretja. His only career title came here, where he owns a 7-0 record, and he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final of the 2003 French Open.
Seeded third, Robredo posted a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Croatian Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion who won this event in 1996 and 1997. Robredo's only career title came at Sopot in 2001.
"I played bad and good," Ivanisevic said. "I served good, but I returned very bad. He's not a big server, but I saw that statistics and from 90 points, I won 20 on his serve. So that was the key to the match."
Robredo will face Croatian Mario Ancic, who ousted sixth-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal, 7-5, 6-2.
"We played in Auckland, just before Auckland, and I lost, 7-6, 7-6, but I also had my chances in that match, so I knew it was going to be tough today," Ancic said. "I tried to play my game and be as aggressive as I could be."
Slovakian Karol Kucera breezed past Armenian seventh seed Sargis Sargsian, 6-2, 6-1, and Russian Mikhail Youzhny eliminated eighth-seeded Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty, 6-4, 6-3.
In matches involving unseeded players, Swede Thomas Johansson beat Dutchman Raemon Sluiter, 6-3, 6-3, and France's Antony Dupuis defeated Switzerland's Ivo Heuberger, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
Bureau Report
Verkerk reached the semifinals at Syndey to start the season before being bounced in the first round of the Australian Open by Alex Corretja. His only career title came here, where he owns a 7-0 record, and he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final of the 2003 French Open.
Seeded third, Robredo posted a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Croatian Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion who won this event in 1996 and 1997. Robredo's only career title came at Sopot in 2001.
"I played bad and good," Ivanisevic said. "I served good, but I returned very bad. He's not a big server, but I saw that statistics and from 90 points, I won 20 on his serve. So that was the key to the match."
Robredo will face Croatian Mario Ancic, who ousted sixth-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal, 7-5, 6-2.
"We played in Auckland, just before Auckland, and I lost, 7-6, 7-6, but I also had my chances in that match, so I knew it was going to be tough today," Ancic said. "I tried to play my game and be as aggressive as I could be."
Slovakian Karol Kucera breezed past Armenian seventh seed Sargis Sargsian, 6-2, 6-1, and Russian Mikhail Youzhny eliminated eighth-seeded Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty, 6-4, 6-3.
In matches involving unseeded players, Swede Thomas Johansson beat Dutchman Raemon Sluiter, 6-3, 6-3, and France's Antony Dupuis defeated Switzerland's Ivo Heuberger, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
Bureau Report