TENNIS:RAFA NADAL'S creaky knee, Alejandro Falla's leg cramps and Andreas Beck's bad back created discussion and a sniff of controversy as most of the main contenders safely reached the third round yesterday.
Women’s champion Kim Clijsters, French Open winner Li Na, world number one Caroline Wozniacki and third seed Victoria Azarenka all advanced, along with local hope Bernard Tomic, dark horse Tomáš Berdych and world number three Roger Federer.
Mardy Fish became the first men’s top-10 seed to exit Melbourne Park, though his 7-6 6-3 7-6 defeat by Falla left a bitter taste in the American’s mouth, with the eighth seed suggesting much of Falla’s treatment for cramping during a tense third set had been a tactical ploy.
“When you think someone is cramping or ailing physically, you sort of change your game a tiny bit,” Fish said. “I think it had a significant bearing on the third set, for sure. Didn’t seem like he was having too much trouble during the point. So it was a good tactic on his part.”
Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis provided the crowd with fireworks when he smashed four racquets in a spectacular fit of pique after dropping serve early in the third set against Stanislas Wawrinka, before going on to lose 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 5-7 6-1 .
Nadal’s knee, heavily taped after it had caused him “unbelievable pain” on Sunday, held up well under a test from Germany’s Tommy Haas, the Spaniard coming through 6-4 6-3 6-4.
“A positive match, but not that . . . demanding,” Nadal said. “We didn’t play four hours and a half, five hours. Three sets, so it wasn’t that tough.”
Federer, however, had a much easier day when he advanced without having to lace up his tennis shoes. The Swiss had been scheduled to play Beck but the German was forced to concede a walkover.
Women’s top seed Wozniacki fought off a second-set wobble to knock out Georgia’s Anna Tatishvili 6-1 7-6 and the Dane said she felt like she had let her opponent back into the match.
“I thought the first set I played pretty well. I stayed aggressive and made her run,” she said. “Second set, she went a bit more for her shots, and I stepped back a little bit and she punished me for that.”
The Dane joined Clijsters and Li in the third round, last year’s finalists rarely needing to get out of first gear in their matches on Rod Laver Arena.
Temperatures were much more comfortable after two days of fierce heat and Clijsters barely built up a sweat as she thrashed France’s Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-0 6-1.
Li, was almost as efficient, giving Australian Olivia Rogowska little time to settle and running out a comfortable 6-2 6-2 winner in 62 minutes.
