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Rediff.com  » Sports » French Open: Almagro wins Spanish battle against Verdasco
This article was first published 13 years ago

French Open: Almagro wins Spanish battle against Verdasco

Last updated on: June 1, 2010 09:19 IST

Image: Nicolas Almagro celebrates after beating Fernando Verdasco
Photographs: Reuters

Nicolas Almagro pummelled fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco into submission at the French Open on Monday to set up a quarter-final showdown with Rafael Nadal.

The 24-year-old blasted away from the baseline with his sledgehammer forehand, advancing 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 12 minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Seventh seed Verdasco looked jaded in his 43rd Tour match of the season and only during the second set did he offer much resistance against a player he beat here last year.

Almagro, who has matched his run to the last eight in 2008, sealed victory on his first match point when a Verdasco forehand landed fractionally beyond the baseline.

Jankovic strolls into quarters

Image: Jelena Jankovic serves during her match

Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic eased past Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open on Monday.

Jankovic, a semi-finalist in Paris in 2007 and 2008, was rarely troubled by the 23rd seed during her one-hour and 25-minute stroll on Centre Court.

The former world number one, looking to clinch her maiden grand slam tournament, wrapped up the win on her first match point when Hantuchova misfired a service return.

Jankovic will next face Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova.

Shvedova dismisses Groth

Image: Yaroslava Shvedova smiles after winning her match

Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova comfortably dismissed Australian qualifier Jarmila Groth 6-4, 6-3 to book her place in the quarter-finals of the French Open on Monday.

Shvedova needed only 68 minutes to brush aside the world number 107, who crumbled on the key moments of the match.

World number 36 Shvedova, who had never made it past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament, prevailed when Groth double-faulted on the first match point.

Source: REUTERS
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