Nadal still on course for third title

RAFAEL NADAL gave yet another clay-court masterclass yesterday as he passed his first genuine test of this year’s French Open with flying colours to ease into the quarter-finals.

The Spaniard, seeking a third straight Roland Garros title, surged past Lleyton Hewitt 6-3 6-1 7-6 (7/5) to seal a last-eight showdown with countryman Carlos Moya.

Nadal was expected to be given a real examination by the gutsy Hewitt.

But an anticipated epic failed to materialise as Hewitt struggled to cope with Nadal’s power and court coverage.

“I played 10 times better than I did in my last round (against Albert Montanes),” he said. “It was my best match of the tournament.”

The 14th seed was often left awestruck by Nadal’s movement, energy and unerring forehand.

“His movement on clay is so good, the way he slides for every shot,” Hewitt said.

“He makes you go for that perfect shot all the time. And the spin he gets off his forehand is quite amazing.”

Nadal remains on course to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 — and the second man in 93 years — to win three successive Roland Garros titles.

His next obstacle is Moya, whose quest for a second French Open crown continued thanks to a straight-sets victory over veteran Jonas Bjorkman 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 7-5.

Novak Djokovic, the sixth seed, was another straight-sets winner yesterday as he outplayed Fernando Verdasco. The 20-year-old’s power proved too much for the unseeded Verdasco, the Serbian easing to a 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7/1) victory in two hours 45 minutes.

He will next play Igor Andreev after the Russian enjoyed a surprise victory over 16th seed Marcos Baghdatis 2-6 6-1 6-3 6-4.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer, the top seed and world number one, will be favourite to book his place in the last four when he takes on Tommy Robredo in one of two quarter-finals today.

The other quarter-final will see Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko take on Argentina’s Guillermo Canas, seeded 19.

Elsewhere Justine Henin-Hardenne and Serena Williams go head to head in the last eight today.

In the other quarter-finals, in-form Jelena Jankovic, the fourth seed faces teen prodigy Nicole Vaidisova, seeded six.

Second-seed Maria Sharapova takes on Anna Chakvetadze, the ninth seed, in an all-Russian clash.

Seventh-seed Ana Ivanovic, another Serbian, comes up against Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova, the third seed.