NEW YORK - Two-times defending champion Roger Federer and 2003 titlist Justine Henin-Hardenne used different paths to advance at the US Open today.
On a chilly day at Flushing Meadows, top seed Federer was not at his best but good enough to ease past Briton Tim Henman 6-3 6-4 7-5
in a workmanlike second-round match.
Henin-Hardenne, however, needed to recover from a disastrous first set to defeat number 28 seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan, 4-6 6-1 6-0 and move on to the fourth round.
British teenager Andy Murray also raced into the third round with a 6-0 6-1 6-1 hammering of Italian Alessio Di Mauro.
The 17th seed needed just 74 minutes to reach the last 32 for the first time, setting up a clash with Chilean 10th seed Fernando Gonzalez.
Murray was beaten by Di Mauro in a Challenger Tour event in 2005 but here lost just seven points in a first set that lasted 19 minutes and never looked back as he romped to victory.
"I wanted to beat him after I lost pretty badly against him last time we played," Murray said.
"I didn't really do anything wrong. I played maybe one bad game in the third set. I think it was 30-0 up on his serve when he held maybe, but apart from that it was pretty good."
Under overcast skies with a threat of rain, there were few upsets at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Among the legion of winners were sixth seed and 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova on the women's side and Andy Murray, Carlos Moya and Robby Ginepri on the men's.
Top seeded Federer blasted only six aces and never seemed to fire on all cylinders but proved to be in a different league than the 31-year-old Henman.
"I think the conditions were tough today, breezy, chilly," said Federer, who has yet to lose a set in his two matches. "Henman was trying to kind of break the rhythm, as usual.
"So it makes it hard to really play well and get the good rhythm going. I think it could have been easier, but it could also been tougher.
"I thought it was a solid match because I didn't give him any chances on my own service games and that's what I wanted to do from the start."
Henin-Hardenne committed an uncharacteristic 17 unforced errors in the first set and squandered a 4-1 lead. She had Arthur Ashe Stadium abuzz after having her serve broken three times in the opening frame.
But the gritty Belgian found her form in the final two sets to subdue the 31-year-old Japanese journeywoman without much of a fight.
"I was leading pretty easily in the first set," Henin-Hardenne said. "I didn't have the feeling that I was moving well at the time, and I lost a little bit my intensity. The conditions were pretty difficult.
"When I lost the first set, I understood I had no more choice than winning the next two, and so be very focused on every point. Then I played a very, very solid tennis."
Kuznetsova rolled on to the fourth round with a 59-minute 6-3 6-0 whipping of Russian compatriot Anastassia Rodionova.
Next up for the 21-year-old Kuznetsova will be 19 seed Jelena Jankovic, who scored a mild upset of ninth seed Nicole Vaidisova, 5-7 6-3 6-2.
Men's singles round 2 results
5-James Blake (US) beat Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-3 6-4 7-6(5) Vince Spadea (US) beat 29-Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) 6-4 7-6(4) 6-2
Lukasz Kubot (Poland) beat Noam Okun (Israel) 7-6(7) 6-4 2-6 2-6 6-4 21-Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) beat Sam Querrey (US) 3-6 6-2 6-1 6-4
17-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Alessio Di Mauro (Italy) 6-0 6-1 6-1
12-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-3
14-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Raemon Sluiter (Netherlands) 6-4 6-2 6-3
7-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Nicolas Mahut (France) 6-0 (Mahut retired)
Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 7-6(5) 7-6(7) 6-4 23-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 6-3 7-6(4) 7-5
1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Tim Henman (Britain) 6-3 6-4 7-5
18-Robby Ginepri (US) beat Paul Goldstein (US) 6-2 6-2 6-4 10-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) beat Jan Hajek (Czech Republic) 6-4 6-4 6-2
Women's Singles round 3 matches
Aravane Rezai (France) beat 20-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 6-3 6-1
2-Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) beat 28-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 4-6 6-1 6-0 6-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Anastassia Rodionova (Russia) 6-3 6-0
19-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia and Montenegro) beat 9-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republ ic) 5-7 6-3 6-2
- REUTERS
NEW YORK - Two-times defending champion Roger Federer and 2003 titlist Justine Henin-Hardenne used different paths to advance at the US Open today.
On a chilly day at Flushing Meadows, top seed Federer was not at his best but good enough to ease past Briton Tim Henman 6-3 6-4 7-5
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