Fri Aug 29 00:26:19 2008

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Nadal, Ferrer, Murray, Blake reach third round in Flushing

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Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Top-seed Rafael Nadal, fourth- seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, sixth-seeded Brit Andy Murray and ninth-seeded American favorite James Blake were among a host of favored second-round winners Thursday at the 2008 U.S. Open, the fourth and final major of the year.

The reigning Wimbledon, four-time French Open and Olympic champion Nadal cruised past American Ryler DeHeart 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 while Ferrer overcame German Andreas Beck 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) on the hardcourts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Ferrer reached the semifinals here a year ago -- knocking off Nadal in the fourth round -- and was last year's Masters Cup runner-up to 12-time major-winner Roger Federer.

Murray, like Ferrer, also had his hands full on Day 4, as the Scotsman snuck past French lefthander Michael Llodra 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7). The talented Murray has never advanced beyond the fourth round in Flushing.

Up next for the rising Murray will be another lefty, Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

Blake was leading Steve Darcis 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 when the Belgian retired due to an injury. The Yonkers, New York native Blake reached back-to-back quarterfinals here in 2005 and 2006.

The 28-year-old Blake will battle good friend and fellow American Mardy Fish in the round of 32. Fish, a runner-up in New Haven last week, toppled 24th- seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 with the help of a whopping 27 aces.

The 26-year-old Fish will play in his first-ever third-round match here at the National Tennis Center, where he's making his ninth straight appearance.

Seventh-seeded Argentine star David Nalbandian moved on with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 pasting of Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev, while 10th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka advanced by handling American Wayne Odesnik 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2, and 14th-seeded Croat Ivo Karlovic handled Frenchman Florent Serra 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-2. Frenchman Gilles Simon, the 16th-seed, subdued Argentine Jose Acasuso 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. Wawrinka captured a men's doubles gold medal, alongside Federer, in Beijing earlier this month.

Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro battled to down Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-3. Del Potro has won his last four tournaments and is riding a torrid 20-match winning streak. Serbian Viktor Troicki was leading 25th- seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-0 when the German retired. Frenchman Gael Monfils, the 32nd seed, dispatched Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Additional second-round wins came for Japan's Kei Nishikori, Italian Flavio Cipolla, American Sam Querrey and Austrian Jurgen Melzer.