Davenport shocks Ivanovic in Miami tennis as Henin cruises

MIAMI—Former world number one Lindsay Davenport defeated Serbian second seed Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the WTA and ATP Masters Series hardcourt tournament here Sunday. World number one Justine Henin of Belgium, third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and defending champion Serena Williams also advanced to the round of 16 at the 7.54 million-dollar event with straight-set triumphs.
On the men’s side, world number two Rafael Nadal moved a step closer to his first title of the season, defeating Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer 6-2, 6-4 to reach the fourth round. While not as efficient as his second-round victory over German qualifier Benjamin Becker, in which he committed just four unforced errors, Nadal shrugged off a rain delay to complete his second straight match without facing a break point.
“Well, it was not the best day because I was playing unbelievable in the beginning, playing very well, hitting very well the ball, and playing almost perfect match,” he said. “When I come back to the court the ball was a little bigger and slower, and it was a little bit more difficult for me,” he said. Next up for Nadal is France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu, who ousted Carlos Moya of Spain 7-6 (7/1), 7-5.
Nadal is playing in his 12th tournament since his last title at Stuttgart in July. Ninth-seeded American James Blake stayed on course for a possible quarter-final clash with Nadal with a 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 victory over Frenchman Fabrice Santoro. Davenport, 31, denied Ivanovic, 20, a chance at back-to-back triumphs after her victory a week ago in the Indian Wells final. Instead Ivanovic followed Indian Wells men’s finalists Novak Djokovic and Mardy Fish out of the tournament. “I was playing really well. I felt really confident out there,” Davenport said. “Obviously she’s had a great year so far. But it’s very tough to play Indian Wells and Miami back to back, doing well in Indian Wells,” Davenport added. “You can see on the men’s side with Fish and Djokovic. I was trying to take advantage of that. “You never know what your opponent will bring, but I could tell she was maybe a little fatigued, and I tried to take advantage of that.” Henin advanced to the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Italy’s Sara Errani. Henin, who has won two titles in four tournaments this year, will next face Russian Elena Vesnina, who outlasted American Ashley Harkleroad 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 after three hours and seven minutes.

—Agencies