TENNIS NEWS:RESURGENT SPANIARD Juan Carlos Ferrero stormed into the third round of the Montreal Masters, defeating 13th seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-3, 7-6 yesterday.
Outside the top 100 three months ago, the 29-year-old Ferrero had to work his way into the main draw through qualifying.
The former world number one has made the most of the opportunity, setting up an intriguing third-round meeting with third seed Andy Murray, the man who knocked him out in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Ferrero has looked in vintage form clawing his way back up to number 29 in the rankings. The 2003 French Open champion does his best work on clay but the Spaniard also knows his way around the hardcourts and made it to the final of the US Open that same year.
Ferrero got the early jump on Monfils, breaking the 22-year-old at the first opportunity on his way to a 3-0 lead then holding serve to take the opening set.
The Spaniard broke the Frenchman again to start the second but Monfils, playing his first event since pulling out of Queens with a wrist injury, hit back with a break in the eighth game to level at 4-4.
After forcing the set to a tie-break, Monfils had a chance to extend the match 7-6 but Ferrero showed his experience, sweeping the next three points to win the tie-break 9-7 and clinch victory.
Seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga survived a scare rallying for 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Germanys Rainer Schuettler.
After trading the opening two sets, the frustrated Frenchman slammed his racket on to the court after failing to convert one of his six break opportunities at 2-2 in the third. Tsonga did not squander his next chance, breaking Schuettler to go up 4-3.
Sixth seeded Argentine Juan Martin Del Porto advanced to the third round with a 6-2, 7-5 win over of Czech Jan Hernych while 10th seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain raced into the third round with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Argentinas Leonardo Mayer.
Meanwhile, Kim Clijsterss comeback gathered pace yesterday when the former world number one beat Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round of the Cincinnati Open. The 26-year-old Belgian, in her opening tournament after a two-year break during which she gave birth to her first child, staved off a second-set fightback to win in 70 minutes.
“The main thing I was happy with today was the first-serve percentage was a lot better than the first match,” said Clijsters.
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva saw off Belgian qualifier Yanina Wickmayer 6-3, 6-4 while fifth seed Jelena Jankovic advanced with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Russian Maria Kirilenko in a match including 13 breaks of serve.
