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Tennis lesson

Rafael Nadal crushed former world number one Lleyton Hewitt 6-1 6-2 yesterday before Roger Federer gave El Salvador's Rafael Arevalo a tennis lesson he will never forget.

  • Reuters
  • Published: 23:59 August 12, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Reuters
  • Roger Federer of Switzerland returns the ball to Rafael Arevalo of El Salvador during their men’s singles second round tennis match at the Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday. Federer won 6-2 6-4.

Beijing: Rafael Nadal crushed former world number one Lleyton Hewitt 6-1 6-2 yesterday before Roger Federer gave El Salvador's Rafael Arevalo a tennis lesson he will never forget.

Dogged Australian Hewitt tried everything he knew to contain Spanish powerhouse Nadal but he proved no match for the 22-year-old who is looking to add Olympic gold to the French Open and Wimbledon crowns he has won this year.

While Nadal faced a familiar foe, Federer had probably never heard of Arevalo who arrived on Centre Court with a ranking of 447. The Swiss duly won 6-2 6-4 but Arevalo played a full part in an entertaining tussle played in a crackling atmosphere.

Federer plays Czech Tomas Berdych next, said before praising the fans.

Fans' excitement

"I enjoy playing in Asia. At times they're reserved and then at times they really get excited."

Berdych knocked Federer out of the Olympics in Athens four years ago when Chile's Nicolas Massu won the gold medal.

Massu wilted against Argentine David Nalbandian, losing 7-6 6-1.

Nikolay Davydenko became the highest-ranked men's casualty so far when he fell to 7-5 6-3 to France's Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia saw off Germany's Rainer Schuettler 6-4 6-2.

American sisters Serena and Venus Williams edged towards a likely gold-medal showdown in the women's singles event.

Serena needed just 44 minutes to beat Australian Samantha Stosur 6-2 6-0 and shortly afterwards Venus beat Czech Iveta Benesova 6-1 6-4.

Slovak Daniela Hantuchova, seeded 10, was beaten by Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki 6-1 6-3 and Polish hopeful Agnieszka Radwanska lost to Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-3 7-6.

Men's singles second round:

Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Victor Hanescu (ROM) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5); Gilles Simon (FRA x10) bt Guillermo Canas (ARG) 7-5, 6-1; Tomas Berdych (CZE x17) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4); Olivier Rochus (BEL) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 7-6 (7/5), 2-3 - retired; Nicolas Kiefer (GER x15) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA) 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4; Novak Djokovic (SRB x3) bt Rainer Schuettler (GER) 6-4, 6-2; Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) bt Agustin Calleri (ARG) 6-4, 6-4; Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x9) 6-4, 6-0; David Nalbandian (ARG x7) bt Nicolas Massu (CHI) 7-6 (7/0), 6-1; Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 6-1, 6-2; Igor Andreev (RUS) bt Michael Llodra (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) bt Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x4) 7-5, 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x13) bt Thomas Johansson (SWE) 7-5, 6-2; Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Rafael Arevalo (ESA) 6-2, 6-4; James Blake (USA x8) bt Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-3; Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) bt Marin Cilic (CRO) 6-4, 6-2

Women's singles second round:

Serena Williams (USA x4) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-2, 6-0; Alize Cornet (FRA x15) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-2, 6-2; Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) bt Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x10) 6-1, 6-3; Francesca Schiavone (ITA) bt Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x8) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6); Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x16) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 6-2, 6-2; Venus Williams (USA x7) bt Iveta Benesova (CZE) 6-1, 6-4; Dinara Safina (RUS x6) bt Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1; Zheng Jie (CHN) bt Nuria Vives Llagostera (ESP) 6-7 (7/9), 6-1, 6-4; Jelena Jankovic (SRB x2) bt Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 7-5, 6-1; Ayumi Morita (JPN) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 5-7, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4; Sybille Bammer (AUT) bt Patty Schnyder (SUI x13) 6-4, 6-4; Victoria Azarenka (BLR x12) bt Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 6-2, 6-2; Vera Zvonareva (RUS x9) bt Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4); Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Virginie Razzano (FRA) 6-4, 7-5; Mariya Koryttseva (UKR) bt Tzipora Obziler (ISR) 5-7, 7-5, 6-4; Elena Dementieva (RUS x5) bt Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 6-3, 6-4; Li Na (CHN) bt Ayumi Morita (JPN) 6-2, 7-5

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