HAMBURG, Germany, 13 May 2005 — Roger Federer overwhelmed Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-3 at the Hamburg Masters yesterday to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Argentine Guillermo Coria, the player he beat in last year’s final.
The Swiss world No. 1 sprayed winners all over the Rothenbaum center court to record his sixth win in as many meetings with Spaniard Robredo and signal his return to peak form 11 days before the start of the French Open.
Argentine Coria also produced some sublime shots in his 6-4, 6-3 win over Mario Ancic, earning applause even from his Croatian opponent when a devastating backhand down the line brought him victory.
“I’ve got my confidence back,” said 10th seed Coria, a loser to Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal in the finals of both the Monte Carlo and Rome Masters on clay this past month.
Britain’s Tim Henman and Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, meanwhile, suffered demoralizing defeats. Fifth seed Henman, a surprise semifinalist at Roland Garros last year, lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela while 2003 French Open champion Ferrero went down 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 to Russian Nikolay Davydenko.
Henman’s game fell apart on center court after a controversial line call at 4-4 in the second set. At break point down, Chela served a second service ace which Henman thought was out but the chair umpire ruled in the Argentine’s favor. The world No. 40 dominated after that and Henman’s day was summed up when he hit a smash out to lose the match.
Henman, who made 46 unforced errors, claimed the umpire had identified the wrong ball mark on the court and television replays suggested the serve was out.
Chela’s victory avenged his defeat by Henman in the quarterfinals of last year’s French Open. He will face either Belgian Christophe Rochus or fellow Argentine Gaston Gaudio in the last eight.
Ferrero, who beat third seed Marat Safin in the second round, also lost his way after a good first set against Davydenko, the world No. 20. The Spaniard could not cope with the Russian on court one as Davydenko set up a quarterfinal against either Sebastien Grosjean of France or Italy’s Filippo Volandri.
Gifted French 18-year-old Richard Gasquet demolished Slovakia’s Dominik Hrbaty 6-1, 6-2 to line up a quarterfinal against 21-year-old Italian qualifier Andreas Seppi, who upset Czech Jiri Novak 6-3, 6-4.
Gasquet, ranked 56 in the world, beat Federer in one of the shock results of the season at the Monte Carlo Masters last month.
Mauresmo Battles Through in Rome
Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo cruised into the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over 13th seed Silvia Farina Elia yesterday.
She next faces four-time former winner Conchita Martinez, who progressed after her opponent, seventh seed Nadia Petrova of Russia, withdrew from the tournament with a thigh strain.
Mauresmo’s match against Farina Elia was an eagerly awaited of their quarterfinal last year, which the Frenchwoman won in three sets after saving two match points.
In the end it failed to live up to expectations, with the second seed doing just enough to stay ahead of her opponent throughout an occasionally scrappy encounter.
She started brightly, rallying to break Silvia Farina Elia in the fourth game on her way to establishing a 4-1 lead. The Italian broke back with some aggressive hitting, but her nerve deserted her as she served to stay in the set at 4-5 down. A pair of forehand errors — the second a wildly-struck shot that looped over the baseline — gifted Mauresmo the first set.
She recovered to break her opponent at the start of the second and had a point for a 3-0 lead, but the second seed reeled off the next seven points to hold serve and level at 2-2.
Farina Elia called on the trainer to treat a back problem, but couldn’t avoiding dropping serve in the eighth game when Mauresmo rushed to the net to tuck away a volley winner. She then served out to stay on course for her fifth Rome final in six years.
Asked whether she felt capable of lifting her game and repeating last year’s triumph, Mauresmo replied: “Sometimes even when you play an average match, one or two matches after you can play your best tennis.
Mauresmo could meet Vera Zvonareva in the last four again this year. The Russian, seeded sixth, beat Colombian qualifier Catalina Castano 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. Eighth seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland also reached the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Ana Ivanovic.
