BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Top-seeded Rafael Nadal beat local qualifier Facundo Arguello 6-4, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open Wednesday. Nadal has yet to reach a final in three tournaments this season and was beaten in the semifinals last week in Rio de Janeiro, ending his 52-match unbeaten run on clay.
He has had illness and injury problems the last few seasons, and this year he says he's fit but not yet match conditioned.
Nadal, ranked fourth in the world, needed just 64 minutes to win his opening match in the clay court tournament, booking a clash with Federico Delbonis.
Nadal admitted he felt a few nerves opening his Buenos Aires campaign after a semifinal loss to Italian Fabio Fognini in Rio last week.
“It's never easy to open when you have lost a match like the one I lost in Rio de Janeiro,” he said. “I started a little nervous, and Arguello played very well in the first set.
“In the second I felt more comfortable and I was able to attack more.” Delbonis, in a re-match of last year's Sao Paulo final, once again triumphed over Italian Paolo Lorenzi with a 6-4, 6-2 win.
In other key matches, third-seeded Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay advanced with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 win against Guido Andreozzi of Argentina, but No. 5 Leonardo Mayer was ousted by fellow Argentine Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-4. Azarenka, Wozniacki thru
In Doha, Victoria Azarenka will face another former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in an intriguing Qatar Open quarterfinal after seeing off WTA rising star Elina Svitolina in three sets Wednesday.
Azarenka came good 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1 to maintain her quest for a third Qatar title after 2012 and 2013.
The unseeded Belarus, who held a match-point at 5-4 in the second set, came across Wozniacki last in the Australian Open when she beat the Dane in the second round.
“She beat me last time in Australia, so I have to play my best,” said Wozniacki, who is into the last eight after unseeded Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru retired trailing 6-1, 3-0 in their second round clash.
Top seed Petra Kvitova was in control of her second round clash with Jelena Jankovic at 6-1, 1-1 when the Serb had to retire with a hip problem.
She now faces Carla Suarez Navarro, who came through her meeting with Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
Germany's sixth-seed Andrea Petkovic avenged her loss in Dubai last week to Kazakh Zarina Diyas 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Kvitova's compatriot Lucie Safarova pulled off the surprise of the day, her 14 aces firing her past Russian fifth seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3.
Agnieszka Radwanska, the Polish fourth seed, spoiled Flavia Penetta's 33rd birthday celebrations, cruising past the Italian 6-1, 6-1 to set up a last eight meeting with Venus Williams.
Djokovic advances
In Dubai, top-seeded Novak Djokovic only needed one hour to move into the Dubai Tennis Championships quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Andrey Golubev Wednesday.
Djokovic never offered Golubev a break point opportunity and only gave up 11 points in eight service games.
“Having one match under my belt before today's encounter helped to feel a bit more comfortable to move around on the court quicker,” Djokovic said.
