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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Davydenko survives


Nikolay Davydenko of Russia returns a shot during his fourth round match against Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia — Nikolay Davydenko rallied from two sets and a break down today at the Australian Open to reach the quarterfinals and snap Dominik Hrbaty’s run of wins in five-set matches.

The fifth-seeded Davydenko also saved three break points in the last game, winning five straight points and closing the 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory with an ace.

He next plays the winner of today’s later match between top-ranked Roger Federer and Tommy Haas.

Hrbaty was the only player in the draw to move into the fourth round after three five-set match victories. After his 3 1/2 -hour match today, Hrbaty had spent a total of 13 hours and 57 minutes on court at Melbourne Park.

The No. 12 seed from Slovakia was only the fourth man to play four consecutive five-set matches at one Grand Slam tournament.

American Robby Ginepri was the most recent, winning three times in five-setters at last year’s U.S. Open before losing the semifinal in five to Andre Agassi.

While Hrbaty had five comeback wins from 0-2 in five-set matches, it was only the second time for Davydenko.

After dropping serve in the seventh game of the third set, “something happened – I tried running,” said Davydenko. “It was difficult. I tried to fight and was winning the third, fourth and fifth – easy!”

Davydenko said he hoped he didn’t face the same situation if he met Federer next round.

But if so, “I try the same. If I lose the first two sets, I try to win the third,” he said. “If I can’t, bad luck for me.”

Amelie Mauresmo, seeded third on the women’s side, cruised into the quarterfinals, committing only two unforced errors in a 6-1, 6-1 victory over 16-year-old Nicole Vaidisova.

WTA Championship winner Mauresmo next plays Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, who beat 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina 6-2, 6-1 in 55 minutes.

Myskina saved one match point with a backhand winner in the penultimate game, but struggled generally with her groundstrokes and had 32 unforced errors against only 13 for seventh-seeded Schnyder.

Three-time Australian women’s champion Martina Hingis, on the comeback from a three-year retirement, was to play Australian Samantha Stosur later.

On the men’s side, No. 21 Nicolas Kiefer had a 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3 win over Juan Ignacio Chela, who had ousted third-seeded Lleyton Hewitt in the second round.

Mauresmo reached the quarterfinals here for the fourth time on her second match point when Vaidisova hit a forehand into the net.

“I expected a tough one … so I am very happy to go through in straight sets and also not spend too much time on the court.”

While Vaidisova was seeded 16th and dictated the pace of the match, the young Czech showed her inexperience on center court with 34 unforced errors to 14 winners and had her serve broken five times. Mauresmo won nearly twice as many points, 51-27.

On Sunday, fourth-seeded Maria Sharapova won six of the last seven games in a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Daniela Hantuchova, who ousted defending champion Serena Williams in the third round.

Sharapova next faces fellow Russian Nadia Petrova.

Andy Roddick’s bid to make amends for his first-round exit at the U.S. Open ended in a fourth-round upset to Marcos Baghdatis.

Baghdatis advanced to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, while No. 4 David Nalbandian reached the quarterfinals here for the fourth consecutive year, beating Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2.

Nalbandian next faces French veteran Fabrice Santoro, who overcame No. 11 David Ferrer 6-4, 7-5, 7-5.

Stung by a first-round exit to Gilles Muller in New York at the last major, Roddick skipped the Masters Cup in November to give himself extra weeks to peak for Melbourne Park.

What he did not figure on, while running miles and pumping iron, was a guy like Baghdatis stepping into serves and smacking returns past him with mesmerizing regularity.

The live-wire former junior world champion from Cyprus hit 63 winners and next faces No. 7 Ivan Ljubicic.

“It’s disappointing when you feel like you’ve put in the work and there are no unanswered questions in my eyes as far as preparation,” he said. “You’re kind of left searching a bit – that’s an uneasy feeling.”

It’s only the second time since the Australian Open moved permanently to Melbourne Park in 1988 that no American men are in the quarterfinals – the last was in 2002, when Thomas Johansson won the title.