Wed Jun 11 14:41:08 2008

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Nadal, Djokovic, Roddick win Artois openers

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London, England (Sports Network) - Four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, Australian Open titlist Novak Djokovic and four-time Queen's Club champ Andy Roddick were among Wednesday's second-round winners at the $1.12 million Artois Championships, a grass-court Wimbledon tuneup. Nadal, Djokovic and Roddick account for three of the top-six players in the world.

The top-seeded Nadal extended his current overall winning streak to 13 matches with a 6-2, 6-2 pasting of 36-year-old Swede Jonas Bjorkman at The Queen's Club. Nadal is fresh off his fourth straight title at Roland Garros, where he pounded world No. 1 Roger Federer in Sunday's final, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.

The two-time Wimbledon runner-up Nadal, who received an opening-round bye this week, will face Japan's Kei Nishikori here on Thursday.

A second-seeded Djokovic got past Croat Roko Karanusic 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), while a third-seeded Roddick came from behind to beat fellow American Robby Ginepri 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-1. The two-time Wimbledon runner-up Roddick bested Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in last year's Queen's Club finale and also titled here from 2003-05.

The former world No. 1 Roddick and fellow former top-ranked star Lleyton Hewitt have combined to win the last eight titles here. The Aussie Hewitt captured this event from 2000-02 and again in 2006.

Up next for Roddick will be 15th-seeded fellow American Mardy Fish on Thursday, while Djokovic will face 13th-seeded fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic in the third round.

In other second-round action involving top stars, fourth-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian held off Serb Viktor Troicki 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); fifth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet grounded Italian Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-3; 10th-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez stopped two-time major titlist Marat Safin of Russia 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); and an 11th-seeded Hewitt, a former Wimbledon champ, humbled Belgian Xavier Malisse 6-3, 6-2.

Additionally, rising Latvian Ernests Gulbis upended 12th-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3; Tipsarevic overcame Czech Ivo Minar 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Fish snuck past big-serving Aussie Chris Guccione 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 6-4; Nishikori downed Frenchman Olivier Patience 7-6 (10-8), 6-3; and Mahut dismissed 6-foot-9 American John Isner 7-5, 6-4.

In some other third-round action on Thursday, the Argentine Nalbandian will encounter Mahut and Hewitt will tangle with seventh-seeded Frenchman Paul- Henri Mathieu.