Federer gets free ride, Nadal advances easily in Melbourne

By Bill Scott Jan 18, 2012, 8:38 GMT

Melbourne - Third seed Roger Federer received a walkover into the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday while Rafael Nadal showed perfect fitness after a previous knee injury scare to post his own win.

Federer advanced without lifting a racquet as German opponent Andreas Beck withdrew prior to their match with a lower back problem. Second seed Nadal was pleased with his showing as he beat Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 for the fifth time without a loss since 2006.

'I don't know if it's the perfect match, but I won in three sets,' said the Spaniard. 'I started match playing fantastic, especially the first seven games.'

Federer's match would have been the first since 2004 on a court other than the showcase Rod Laver arena for the four-time champion, with his match scheduled on the Hisense arena in a surprise decision.

The walkover was the fourth for Federer against a German opponent after Tommy Haas in 2007 and 2008 and Philipp Kohlschreiber in 2010.

'I would have loved to play,' said the Swiss. 'I was ready to go. I'll just take it easy this afternoon and come out hit intensely tomorrow, and then I'll be ready for the next match.'

Federer, a friend and occasional practice partner with the 93rd-ranked German, said Beck explained his predicament in the locker room.

'He'd had a lot painkillers and pain during the last match and he didn't want to risk it early in the season, best of five sets against me. There was nothing he could have done, even though he would love to play against me.'

Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych spoiled the birthday for Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-1, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4) while Alejandro Falla of Colombia scored an upset against eighth seed Mardy Fish 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).

The American was not pleased by Falla's cramping issues which turned the third set into a sideshow.

'I didn't play great, the conditions were about as ideal for me as I would have liked as far as the second and third sets, the heat and stuff.

'But it just didn't work out he played good when he needed to. The third set was pretty important knowing that he was struggling - or maybe not. Maybe that was a ploy. I don't know.

'It didn't seem like he was having too much trouble, so it was a good tactic on his part.'

Argentine Juan Del Potro, seeded 11th, beat Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.

Women's top seed Caroline Wozniacki came through without incident as her wrist problem from last week fades from memory, as the Dane beat Anna Tatishvili 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

'I pulled through, I thought the first set I played pretty well,' said Wozniacki, who is fighting to hold onto her number one ranking. 'I stayed aggressive and made her run.

'In the second set, she went a bit more for her shots, and I stepped back a little bit and she punished me for that.'

Last year's women's finalists lost just five games between them as champion Kim Clijsters and runner-up Li Na powered into the third round.

Clijsters, seeded 11th and coming back from six months of injury problems in 2011 in which she managed to play in just eight events, crushed Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France, 6-0, 6-1 while fifth seed Li was almost as ruthless in a 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Australian Olivia Rogowska.

'I didn't really have that rhythm that I would have liked to have,' said Clijsters. 'I was hitting the ball well, I could keep her under pressure and didn't let her play her game.'

Clijsters needed just 47 minutes for victory while Li went through in 62.

Swiss-based Italian outsider Romina Oprandi sprang a surprise on tenth seed Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-3. Serb 13th seed Jelena Jankovic bet Chang Kai-Chen 6-4, 6-2 and Czech Iveta Benesova knocked out China's 16th seed Peng Shuai 6-2, 6-4.