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Federer, Agassi advance at Key Biscayne
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-28 15:29
Roger Federer kept shanking shots. He sailed one forehand 20 feet long,
popped another 80 feet high, blew a lead and found himself trailing in the third
set.
Andre Agassi
acknowledges the crowd after beating Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina 6-0,
7-6 (7-1) Saturday, March 27, 2004 , at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key
Biscayne, Fla. [AP] | Then the world's No. 1
player rallied, winning the final three games and final six points Saturday
night to edge Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in the second round of the
Nasdaq-100 Open.
Battling gusty wind and recovering from an illness that curtailed his
practice schedule, Federer committed 36 unforced errors, including a handful of
ugly shots. He failed to convert five consecutive break-point chances in the
final set before a forehand winner down the line gave him a 6-5 lead, and he
then served out the two-hour match at love.
"Today wasn't my best," Federer said. "It was a tough one, and I didn't think
I was going to turn it around."
While Davydenko came up short, Vince Spadea pulled off one upset and might be
on the verge of another. Playing himself into contention for a spot on the U.S.
Davis Cup team, Spadea beat Marat Safin 7-6 (7), 6-7 (4), 6-4.
The victory came on the heels of Spadea's first tournament title in
Scottsdale two weeks ago. At age 29, the 14-year pro would be an improbable
choice for the Davis Cup squad that will face Sweden next month.
"It would mean a lot and would be a great thrill," said Spadea, ranked 36th.
"I've won two rounds here, you know. I haven't won Wimbledon or anything. ...
But I feel like I deserve a chance. If it's not this time, maybe I'll be ranked
even higher the next time."
He's definitely on the rise. The title at Scottsdale came in his 223rd
tournament. On Thursday, he beat countryman James Blake, who played Davis Cup
last year. And his smart, steady baseline play stymied Safin, the runner-up in
the Australian Open last month.
"Coming back for a good win like this is just great timing after the momentum
I had from Scottsdale," Spadea said. "If I was to represent my country, I would
prove worthy with the results I'm having right now."
Andy Roddick, who will lead the U.S. team against Sweden, showed he's ready
for Davis Cup — and perhaps a title run in Key Biscayne. Seeded No. 2, he
overpowered Karol Beck 6-2, 6-4.
Roddick aced Beck with a 147-mph serve, which tied for the fourth-fastest
ever and was 3 mph shy of the record Roddick set in January. He needed just four
strokes to win one game, all aces, and finished with 14.
No. 4 Andre Agassi, bidding for his seventh Key Biscayne title, had only one
unforced error in the first set and beat Mariano Zabaleta 6-0, 7-6 (1).
On the women's side, No. 2 Venus Williams successfully began her bid for a
fourth Key Biscayne title. Limited to just seven matches since July because of
injuries, she double-faulted six times but beat Jie Zheng 6-4, 6-4.
"What I'm trying to do is stay healthy," Williams said. "As long as I can
stay healthy, I can practice, and as long as I practice, I can win matches."
Williams' opponent Sunday will be No. 27 Daniela Hantuchova, who beat
Tamarine Tanasugarn 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-0.
Joining the 31st-seeded Safin on the sidelines were six other seeded men: No.
11 Mark Philippoussis, No. 13 Sjeng Schalken, No. 15 Martin Verkerk, No. 18
Gustavo Kuerten, No. 22 Albert Costa and No. 23 Feliciano Lopez.
Philippoussis lost to qualifier Jan Hernych 6-4, 6-2. Schalken was defaulted
for the first time in his 13-year career for verbal abuse trailing Guillermo
Canas 6-1, 3-0.
Davydenko, a Russian ranked 54th, made an unlikely candidate to mount an
upset bid. He came into the tournament 3-7 this year and has a career record of
1-14 against top-10 players.
He offered little resistance until the second set, when he broke serve in the
opening game to reverse the momentum. Federer began to struggle and said he felt
fatigue after battling a fever that kept him off the practice court until
Friday.
"I didn't have confidence in my forehand," he said. "I couldn't hit three or
four balls in a row."
Helped by some shaky shots down the stretch from Davydenko, Federer pulled
out the win and improved to 23-1 this year. He'll put a 12-match winning streak
on the line Sunday night against 17-year-old Spanish left-hander Rafael Nadal,
touted as a future star.
The meeting will be their first.
"I think he has already proven that he's a great player," said Federer, 22.
"All he needs is time. He's a very quiet guy and confident on the court. I felt
the same way at his age."
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