Nadal, Murray through as Venus given scare

World number one Rafael Nadal and British hope Andy Murray stayed on course for a Wimbledon showdown yesterday as Venus Williams came from a set down to reach the third round of the women’s draw.

Spanish reigning champion Nadal swept into the last 32 with a brisk demolition of American journeyman Ryan Sweeting, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 under a closed Centre Court roof as rain disrupted play early on.

Nadal, aiming for his third Wimbledon title in four years, will face Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller in the third round, who beat him in 2005.

“I played well. I had the match under control at 2-1, 40-0 in the third set but then made a few mistakes,” said Nadal, who added he preferred to play without the £80 million roof covering the action.

“This is the best court in the world. It’s a pleasure always to play here. It’s a new experience under the roof but I prefer to play with no roof, that’s for sure.”

Nadal is on course to meet Murray in the semi-finals, with the Scottish fourth seed aiming to become the first British man to win at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray was stretched to four sets in his first round match on Monday but faced no such problems against Germany’s Tobias Kamke on Court Number One, wrapping up a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 win with a minimum of fuss.

Murray will take on either Ukraine’s Sergei Stakhovsky or Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic for a place in the last 16.

“I served well but the rest of my game needs work. It was quite tricky and windy,” Murray said.

“He was hitting the ball very hard and flat, so it was tough to get into a rhythm. I served well but need to move my legs better at the back of the court. I felt I was a bit upright and need to be quicker on my feet.”

The men’s draw went mostly to form yesterday, with seeded players Mardy Fish, Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet all reaching the third round.

The highlight of the women’s tournament saw five-time champion Venus Williams pushed all the way by 40-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm in a pulsating three-hour battle.

Williams, 31, finally prevailed 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 8-6 to advance to a third round meeting with Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez tomorrow, who defeated Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-0.

Williams, seeded 23, is feeling her way back into tennis after a five-month lay-off following an injury sustained at the Australian Open in January, an enforced absence that has left her hungrier than ever.

“I think more than anything I’ve learned I’m very competitive. I’ve been extremely positive regardless of how my opponent’s playing. Just keeping fighting,” Williams said.

“I think that’s going to be crucial, not only for me but for anyone in this championship to stay positive and keep fighting,” she added.

Date-Krumm, who reached the semi-finals here in 1996 before later taking a 12-year sabbatical from the sport, expressed satisfaction that she had pushed her more illustrious opponent so close.

“Of course I’m very, very disappointed. But most important, I played my tennis and showed I can fight with Venus. She’s a five-time champion here. So it was a very, very good match for me.”

Other results: (Men) Roddick bt Hanescu 6-4, 6-3, 6-4; Bolelli bt Wawrinka 7-6, 6-3, 7-6. (Women) Kvitova bt Keothavong 6-2, 6-1; Zvonareva bt Vesnina 6-1, 7-6.