Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic succeeded where Roger Federer failed at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

They each advanced to the second round yesterday, a day after the top-ranked Federer extended his losing streak to two in a row.

Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 6-2, 6-4. He had 18 aces, including one that reached 147 mph. In the second set, he won a game with four straight aces.

"That's as well as I've served," Roddick said. "It was a really good first match."

Nadal struggled to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

"You play the first round like you'd play a quarterfinals," Nadal said. "It was a tough match."

Djokovic, who defeated Federer at the Australian Open semifinals, defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia, 6-4, 6-3.

Federer, who is still looking for his 13th Grand Slam title, lost to Andy Murray on Monday in the first round.

"Roger is starting to lose more and more," Djokovic said. "Now, players have started to believe they can win."

Djokovic, who beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open final, was glad to advance in Dubai, where many players had tough draws.

"It's always good to go through the first round in straight sets," said the Serb, who won after Cilic had saved two match points.

Roddick arrived in Dubai on Monday after playing last week in Memphis. "It's like a paid vacation," Roddick said of Dubai. "It's weird. It's like 'Star Wars.' . . . We're not as inventive back home."

-- From News Services