Madrid : Rafael Nadal cruised into the Madrid Open quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory Thursday over Mikhail Youzhny that featured an array of creative shots. Top-ranked Serena Williams and No. 2 Maria Sharapova also reached the quarterfinals in straight sets.
Having already established control by winning Youzhny's second service game, Nadal kept a point going with a deft no-look backhand flick before nailing a winner down the line to hold his serve and delight his fans at the Caja Magica.
The fifth-ranked Spaniard broke Youzhny again by dinking the ball over the net while on the run, giving it so much backspin it twisted away from the Russian. Fittingly, Nadal polished off the third-round match by chasing down a ball and returning it cross-court. Nadal, who is aiming for his seventh straight final since returning from injury, improved to 28-2 this year.
He will play either David Ferrer or Tommy Haas in the quarterfinal. Also, Tomas Berdych defeated Kevin Anderson of South Africa 7-6 (5), 7-5, to make the final eight, while Pablo Andujar also advanced after fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver retired. Second-seeded Roger Federer and third-seeded Andy Murray also have third-round matches later Thursday....
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07:01 PM, May 09, 2013
Moscow: Dominika Cibulkova rallied to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in the opening singles on Saturday to give Slovakia a 1-0 lead over Russia in the Fed Cup World Group semifinals. Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia was scheduled to play Maria Kirilenko in the second singles match on indoor clay at Krylatskoye Ice Stadium. Pavlyuchenko broke decisively in the 11th game to take the first set. Cibulkova led 4-0 to...
08:50 PM, Apr 20, 2013
Azarenka had complained about her ankle earlier in the week and she limped toward the players' dining area. ...
04:39 AM, Mar 15, 2013
Erratic serving cost Petra Kvitova dearly as the fifth-seeded Czech lost 4-6 6-4 6-3 to Russian Maria Kirilenko. ...
07:20 AM, Mar 14, 2013
Maria Kirilenko defeated veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the opening match. ...
11:35 PM, Feb 09, 2013
Serena Williams continued her run toward a third consecutive major title by beating Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-0 in Australian Open. ...
03:15 PM, Jan 21, 2013
Moscow: Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden advanced to the quarter-finals of the Kremlin Cup by beating Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 6-0, while Russia's Maria Kirilenko defeated her compatriot and wild card Elena Vesnina. Arvidsson broke Bartoli three times and dropped serve twice in the first set of the second-round match. The Frenchwoman had six double-faults in the second set. Arvidsson, who won her second career title in Memphis earlier this...
07:18 PM, Oct 17, 2012
![Kirilenko withdraws from Korea Open]( "Kirilenko withdraws from Korea Open")
SEOUL: Maria Kirilenko of Russia withdrew from a second-round match at the Korea Open on Wednesday because of a back injury. Organizers said Kirilenko complained of back pain during a match with South Korean player Lee So-ra. Nadia Petrova of Russia defeated Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain 6-2, 6-4 in her opener, while Kaia Kanepi of Estonia beat Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-2, 6-2, to reach the quarterfinals. ...
05:20 PM, Sep 19, 2012
The former champion was knocked out by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko. ...
10:34 AM, Jan 18, 2010
