PARIS, 26 May 2005 — Roger Federer kept alive his dream of winning the French Open while Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal strongly suggested he could triumph at his first attempt yesterday.
The two big favorites, playing at the same time, easily survived the second round and Nadal was arguably the more impressive.
The gifted 18-year-old with the amazing forehand hit astonishing winners almost at will to brush aside Belgian Xavier Malisse 6-2 6-2 6-4 in under two hours, extending his winning streak on clay to 19 matches.
The burly fourth seed, trying to become the first player to win the French Open on debut since Swede Mats Wilander in 1982, was never in trouble and delighted the crowd.
World No. 1 Federer, chasing the only grand slam to elude him, was never really threatened by Spanish baseliner Nicolas Almagro on his way to a 6-3 7-6 6-2 win.
Swiss Federer, who could meet Nadal in the semi-finals, showed signs of nerves, notably when he was broken while serving for the second set.
The versatile 23-year-old wasted no time in regaining control, however, taking the tiebreak 7-0.
Almagro, who bowed out by hitting a forehand wide on the second match point after an hour and 47 minutes, never recovered.
Nadal will be tested in the next round by fellow teenager Richard Gasquet of France, who pushed the Spaniard all the way in last month’s Monte Carlo semifinals.
The 18-year-old Gasquet, France’s best chance in the men’s singles, thrilled his fans, serving superbly on his way to a 6-3 7-6 6-1 over Dutchman Peter Wessels.
Tim Henman’s dream of repeating his great 2004 run had earlier evaporated in the Paris sunshine when tough Peruvian baseliner Luis Horna beat him 7-5 6-7 6-3 6-4.
The British No. 1, who reached the semi-finals last year, found no answer to Horna’s powerful baseline play.
The usually cool Briton seemed distracted by the atmosphere and was warned by the umpire for swearing. He also appeared to be suffering from a recurrent back problem but insisted neither factor affected the outcome.
“It’s disappointing but I feel he played better than me and deserved it,” he said.
The excited youngsters shrieking in the alleys around the courts on the traditional children’s day -- there is no school in France on Wednesday -- saw no major upsets.
Top seed and world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport survived a scare, clawing back from two points from defeat to beat Chinese teenager Peng Shuai 3-6 7-6 6-0.
The 28-year-old American, rarely at ease in her least-favorite grand slam, looked leaden and ponderous on court one and was in deep trouble when Peng served for the match at 6-3 5-4.
The American tapped into her reserves to see off her Florida-based opponent. Despite sporting a heavily strapped right knee, Kim Clijsters eased into the third round with a 6-2 6-1 win over Slovakia’s Ludmila Cervanova.
Clijsters, considered doubtful for the tournament because of sprained ligaments, moved effortlessly to record her third successive victory over Cervanova.
A runner-up here in 2001 and 2003, the Belgian 14th seed next meets another Slovakian, Daniela Hantuchova, or Catalina Castano of Colombia. It was a memorable day for the local fans with not only Gasquet shining but also Mary Pierce, the 2000 champion, rolling back the years with a 6-1 6-0 demolition of Croatia’s Jelena Kostanic.
Meantime, Federer hit out at a controversial instant replay system which will be used at the US Open this year.
The Swiss star believes the system, which will provide chair umpires with an instant replay of contentious points, is a waste of money and can only detract from the action on the court.
“I have spoken to Jim Curley (the US Open tournament director) and I have told him I am absolutely against it. I’m for the way things are now,” said Federer after his win over Almagro.
“I am concerned about the amount of money that will be blown on this for just a few points. It’s money that I think we can use for other different things.
“I am against the whole idea of replays.”
The decision to introduce the replay system was taken after Serena Williams’s controversial quarter-final defeat to Jennifer Capriati at the US Open in 2004.
In that match, umpire Mariana Alves called out a Williams’ ball that was inches inside the line - overruling the line judge who had correctly called it in.
Alves was then dumped from the tournament after officials reviewed the decision and blamed her for the mistake.
Federer said he was happy with his form yesterday as he continues his campaign to win the French Open for the first time and, in the process, become just the sixth man in history to win all four Grand Slam titles. “The court was much quicker today and I had to get used to it,” said the top seed. “But I feel like I am in the tournament now, I have got a rhythm.” Federer has never got beyond the fourth round at Roland Garros in six previous attempts and now faces either Tomas Behrend of the Czech Republic or Fernando Gonzalez, the 25th seeded Chilean.
