Tennis: Nadal shows no mercy, Mauresmo shines

PARIS - A merciless Rafael Nadal left Kevin Kim gasping after a 6-2 6-1 6-4 victory over the American lucky loser at the French Open today.

"It feels like you're in the Sahara and you just see the hills, and there's no ending," said Kim after the Spanish defending champion extended his record claycourt winning streak to 55 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Nadal, Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis all recorded quick-fire second round wins after their matches were postponed due to rain yesterday.

French top seed Amelie Mauresmo passed a tough test against world number 32 Jelena Jankovic with some assurance on centre court to reach the fourth round. She won 6-3 6-3.

Like Clijsters and Hingis, the Australian Open champion is seeking a first French Open title and so far has shown no sign of cracking under the strain of being the home favourite.

"I need to get stronger round after round and that's what I'm doing," said Mauresmo.

Wimbledon champion Venus Williams was too strong for Croatia's Karolina Sprem. The 2002 runner-up won 7-5 6-3 to set up a fourth round meeting with Swiss seventh seed Patty Schnyder.

Later top seed Roger Federer faces an accomplished claycourter in Olympic champion Nicolas Massu of Chile in the third round.

Russian fourth seed Maria Sharapova plays Australia's Alicia Molik in another third round encounter.

Spaniard Nadal had not played since Monday but looked razor-sharp today. He is unlikely to be daunted on Saturday, his 20th birthday, by third round opponent Paul-Henri Mathieu of France. Nadal has won all four of their previous meetings.

Clijsters and Hingis, the second and 12th seeds, are potential quarter-final opponents in their quest for a maiden Roland Garros title.

Clijsters, twice a runner-up, beat Conchita Martinez Granados of Spain 6-0 6-3 and Hingis, who is back at the French Open for the first time since 2001, crushed Czech Zuzana Ondraskova 6-1 6-3 in bright sunshine.

Hingis was especially impressive in the first set. "I almost felt sorry (for her)," said the former world number one who is back playing on tour after a three-year hiatus.

"I played really well, served well, moved well. It's all coming together again. I just hope it's going to continue like that. I just want to save the best for last." US Open champion Clijsters won her first set even more easily but was a break down at 3-2 in the second before rallying.

Argentine 10th seed Gaston Gaudio, the 2004 men's champion, won his battle with 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain on centre court, sneaking three tight sets 7-5 7-5 7-6 to reach round four.

Gaudio will next play 2005 semi-finalist Nikolay Davydenko. The sixth-seeded Russian downed 1998 champion Carlos Moya of Spain 6-1 7-5 6-3.

Eighth seed James Blake kept the American flag flying when he beat highly-rated Spaniard Nicolas Almagro to reach the third round at Roland Garros for the first time.

Blake had lost the first set yesterday before bad light stopped play but dominated on Friday to complete a 6-7 6-2 6-4 6-4 second round win.

"I have to prove (the American coach) Brad Gilbert right," Blake said. "He said there's going to be an American in the second week. I got to make sure he's not wrong for the first time ever."

Hard-hitting Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, the eighth seed, battled past Li Na of China 6-3 7-6 to reach the last 16.

Fellow Russian Elena Dementieva, the number six seed, recovered from losing the first set to Ukrainian 17-year-old Viktoriya Kutuzova to win 3-6 6-0 6-4 in another delayed second round match.

- REUTERS