Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remained on a collision course at the Montreal Masters but only after coming through their third-round matches in vastly different fashion.

 

World number one Federer demolished Italian qualifier Fabio Fognini 6-1 6-1 in 45 minutes to reach the last eight but Nadal had to battle back from a set down to beat Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 3-6 6-3 6-2.

 

World number 139 Fognini had upset 13th seed Andy Murray in the previous round but the 20-year-old was outclassed by Federer on Centre Court.

 

"I thought the first match (against Ivo Karlovic) was already very good," Federer said.

 

"Playing in perfect conditions today, playing a solid match against a youngster, that was an excellent match.

 

"I was happy it all went my way and I didn't have to struggle too much out there. (When it's a short match), people like to say, 'I couldn't get into the rhythm' and stuff. It's not true. I got a perfect rhythm out there today."

 

 

The Swiss now plays the winner of the match between Australian former world number one Lleyton Hewitt and Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty.

 

NADAL SCARE

 

Nadal survived a real scare as he fought off an inspired Mathieu.

 

In a first set that lasted longer than Federer's entire match, Nadal was bullied by the power of the Frenchman's groundstrokes and one break, in the eighth game, was enough to give Mathieu the opening set.

 

French Open champion Nadal dug deep to fight off six break points in his first three service games of the second set and then turned the tables by breaking Mathieu in the sixth and holding on to level the match.

 

The pair traded breaks at the start of the third set but Nadal moved ahead with another break in the fifth game and after repeating the feat two games later, served out for victory.

 

In the quarter-finals, he will play Spaniard Fernando Verdasco or Frank Dancevic of Canada.

 

Third seed Novak Djokovic set up a possible meeting with number five seed Andy Roddick after he beat Argentine David Nalbandian 6-2 6-3. Roddick was playing Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis later on Thursday.

 

Fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko won an all-Russian battle with 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 6-3. Davydenko will play Czech Radek Stepanek, who upset 12th seed Tommy Haas 6-3 2-6 6-2.

 

(China Daily via Reuters August 10, 2007)