World number one Rafa Nadal moved into the third round of the Cincinnati Masters with a 6-2 7-5 victory over American Taylor Dent on Wednesday. Third seed Novak Djokovic and fourth seed Andy Murray both got through their opening games but in the first real upset of the tournament, Nadal's compatriot Fernando Verdasco, seeded eighth, lost to 36th-ranked American Mardy Fish.
Journeyman Dent, ranked 83rd in the world, struggled in the first set but the 29-year-old's serve improved noticeably in the second and he threatened to make life complicated for Nadal when he broke and went 4-2 up in the second.
The Spaniard swiftly broke back and then broke again to go 6-5 up before serving out for the match. Nadal will face Julien Benneteau in the next round after the Frenchman defeated Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4 6-2. Fish, who has credited his recent surge in form to weight loss, entered the tournament on a wildcard but played some inspired, attacking tennis to beat Verdasco in two tiebreaks.
Murray, coming off his win at the Toronto Masters on Sunday, needed three sets before getting by Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-7 6-2. After a routine first set, Murray was unable to maintain his rhythm against an aggressive opponent who made 53 unforced errors but hit 44 winners.
The Scot regained his dominance in the third after Chardy took a medical timeout for foot treatment. Serbian world number three Novak Djokovic also progressed in straight sets, defeating compatriot Viktor Troicki 6-3 7-5.
Journeyman Dent, ranked 83rd in the world, struggled in the first set but the 29-year-old's serve improved noticeably in the second and he threatened to make life complicated for Nadal when he broke and went 4-2 up in the second.
The Spaniard swiftly broke back and then broke again to go 6-5 up before serving out for the match. Nadal will face Julien Benneteau in the next round after the Frenchman defeated Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4 6-2. Fish, who has credited his recent surge in form to weight loss, entered the tournament on a wildcard but played some inspired, attacking tennis to beat Verdasco in two tiebreaks.
Murray, coming off his win at the Toronto Masters on Sunday, needed three sets before getting by Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-7 6-2. After a routine first set, Murray was unable to maintain his rhythm against an aggressive opponent who made 53 unforced errors but hit 44 winners.
The Scot regained his dominance in the third after Chardy took a medical timeout for foot treatment. Serbian world number three Novak Djokovic also progressed in straight sets, defeating compatriot Viktor Troicki 6-3 7-5.
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