Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 01:47 PM
Twice champion and holder Rafa Nadal of Spain eased into the third round of the Indian Wells ATP tournament with a commanding 6-4 6-4 victory over Germany's Rainer Schuettler on Saturday.
Second-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic survived a lapse in the second set before he held off American Mardy Fish to record a topsy-turvy 6-1 0-6 6-2 win in the late match.
Fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko also advanced, beating Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4, but eighth seed Marin Cilic of Croatia made an early exit, losing 7-6 6-0 to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
World number three Nadal, who relishes playing at the California desert venue, broke his opponent in the seventh game of the second set before clinching victory in one hour 34 minutes on a blustery late afternoon.
The Spanish left-hander removed his red headband in celebration after a Schuettler backhand flew wide before approaching the net to shake hands with his opponent.
"Indian Wells is one of my favourite tournaments and I always feel like I'm at home here," a smiling Nadal, 23, said in a courtside interview. "I have very happy memories here."
The six-times grand slam champion had to contend with gusting winds on the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden but he was overall pleased with his form.
"It was a good start in the conditions for me and I'm very happy," said Nadal, competing this week for the first time since shaking off the knee injury that forced him to abandon his Australian Open title defence in January.
"Later, when I was playing in favour of the wind, it was very difficult for me with the backhand because I feel if I only touch the ball, the ball was out. It went too much.
BETTER CONDITIONS
"I feel really well with the forehand, and that's very important to my game. Maybe I can play better in better conditions with the backhand."
Nadal, champion at Indian Wells in 2007 and again last year, will next meet Croatia's Mario Ancic who came from a set down to beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau 4-6 7-5 6-3.
Djokovic, champion here in 2008 when he beat Fish in the final, appeared to be on track for a smooth passage when he breezed through the opening set 6-1.
However his game deteriorated in the second and Fish won seven games in succession to level the match before the Serb regained control in the third.
"I was very lucky to pull out it out in the end," Djokovic said after making 37 unforced errors and serving nine double faults in a contest lasting one hour 42 minutes.
Asked what had happened in the second set, he replied: "I had a terrible start. Mardy played some good shots and I made a lot of unforced errors. I'm still jet-lagged and it took some time for me to get used to the centre court."
Djokovic will play Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round.
In other matches on Saturday, 10th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco eased past Paraguay's Ramon Delgado 6-4 6-1 while 11th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain hammered Austrian Daniel Koellerer 6-3 6-0.
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