Greg Rusedski /Getty Images

Rusedski Moves Into QFs; Davydenko Upset

August 11, 2005 - The latest darling of tennis, Spain's Rafael Nadal, put on a show at the Uniprix Stadium Thursday afternoon, disposing of Frenchman Sébastien Grosjean, 6-4, 6-4.

The spectacular battle lasted one hour and 39 minutes with the French Open champion securing a berth in Friday's quarter-finals. Nadal held serve the entire match despite Grosjean's five break points. The Spaniard's consistency and power, combined with his extreme speed, made all the difference.

“The fact that I didn't have much time to rest after last night didn't change anything,” said Nadal. “The match was as hard as the one I played against him in Paris. I think that taking his serve early in the match really helped me a lot. I'm very happy because in this tournament I think I never lost my serve. That's new for me. ”

Earlier in the afternoon, former Montrealer Greg Rusedski of Great Britain advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time in his career. ,

Rusedski defeated Croatian Mario Ancic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, breaking his opponent's serve four times in the hour-and-44-minute match. Rusedski was broken only once, in the second set.

“Always tough matches here this week,” said the Brit. “But fortunately for me, I managed to be mentally strong and played a really good third set.”

The surprise of the day came at the hands of Slovak Karol Beck, who eliminated fifth seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4).

France's Paul-Henri Mathieu continues his impressive run, easily reaching the quarters with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Olivier Rochus of Belgium.

“I played a very good match. I think the best of the week,” said Mathieu. “I played a great first set. He started to play better. But I was serving well, so it was okay. Even if the score is easy, it wasn't that easy.”

In other third round action Thursday afternoon, Argentina's Gaston Gaudio, the sixth seed, stopped 11 th seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo, 6-3, 7-6 (0). Dominik Hrbaty and Mariano Puerta also advanced to the quarterfinals.

One of the most accessible tournaments

The Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is more accessible than ever thanks to the Uniprix Zone, Neighbourhood Day, and Tide & Downy Family Day.

Excellent tickets are still available for all sessions on Centre Court and for the National Bank Court. Tickets start at just $10, with the final weekend starting at just $40. For more information on this tournament or to buy tickets, call (514) 273-1515 (toll free 1-866-338-2685).

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