Ferrer, Davydenko Advance in Straight Sets
Fifth seed David Ferrer dismissed former ATP World No. 1 Marat Safin 6-2, 6-3 to cruise into the third round of the Masters Series Monte-Carlo Presented by Rolex on Wednesday. Ferrer, who is now one win away from his fourth consecutive quarterfinal in Monaco, was broken just once on the lone break point he faced in the match.
Ferrer next meets young Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, who won a grinding three-hour battle with Ecuadorian veteran Nicolas Lapentti 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 to reach the third round.
Fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko improved his 2008 clay court record to 6-1 with a 6-2, 7-6(5) win over Italian Simone Bolelli. The Russian kept the qualifier under pressure on serve, earning 16 break chances and converting five.
Davydenko, who has won an ATP-best 25 matches this season, achieved his best result in Monte Carlo was in 2004 when he reached the quarterfinals. Last week the 26-year-old World No. 4 reached the clay-court final in Estoril, where he retired early in the second set against Roger Federer with a muscle strain in his left leg.
"I was checked yesterday by the doctor, ultrasound. He didn't find any injuries," Davydenko said. "And I practise two times yesterday. I was feeling okay. I have physio here. He treat me many times, everything, my muscles. I was surprised. Was two sets, and my leg is okay."
Frenchman Gael Monfils did not concede one ace against 6' 10'' Ivo Karlovic in a 7-6(8), 6-1 win over the Croatian. It was the first time in Karlovic's 225-match ATP career that he had failed to serve an ace in a match.
Monfils, who has not won a tournament since his first ATP title in Sopot almost three years ago, had won just two matches this season before arriving in Monte Carlo.
Monfils said: "I was stressed about Karlovic's game because I wanted to make him play as many balls as possible because I know he's not so good at that. But thinking about that stressed me, and I played too short."
Monfils said he played better when he decided to become more aggressive. "I wanted to take risks and I wanted to take advantage of some of his weaknesses."
