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Written by John Debnam
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Thursday, 18 January 2007 17:44 |
Andy Murray advanced to the third round with a straight-sets win, but the final score of 7-6(4), 7-5, 6-4 belied the battle -- also two hours and 44 minutes -- with Fernando Verdasco. The 19-year-old held triple match point on serve, but couldn't close the victory until he finally fired an ace on his fifth match point.
The Scot will next face Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela, who ousted No. 17 seed Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday.
Rafael Nadal, who is seeded to meet Murray in the fourth round, needed four sets to defeat German Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Nadal, who missed the Australian Open last year with a left foot injury after reaching the fourth round in 2005, was too steady for Kohlschreiber. The German clipped 48 winners to Nadal's 37, but sprayed 58 unforced errors to the Spaniard's 29.
Eighth seed David Nalbandian, who toiled for five sets in brutal heat in the first round, make quick work of Nicolas Lapentti in the second round, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The Argentine saved both break points he faced to set up a third-round meeting with Sebastien Grosjean.
Grosjean had not won a match coming into the Australian Open but reached the third round Thursday with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Belgian Olivier Rochus.
Third-seed Russian Nikolay Davydenko made just 12 unforced errors as he breezed into the third round with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 win over Gilles Muller. He next will meet French wizard and 2006 quarterfinalist Fabrice Santoro, a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 winner over countryman Arnaud Clement.
 Clijsters, Hingis Cruise Into Third Round
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