Nadal, Murray advance at Shanghai Masters
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Top seeds Rafael Nadal and reigning champion Andy Murray were among those to reach the third round at the $3.24 million Shanghai Masters tennis event.
The former world No. 1 Nadal blew past fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-2, while the reigning Shanghai champion Murray moved on via walkover when Russian Dmitry Tursunov pulled out of their scheduled match due to a wrist injury.
Garcia-Lopez shocked Nadal in Bangkok a year ago.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It was a tough loss last year in Bangkok," Nadal said. "Less painful because I came after winning the U.S. Open, but it probably was the more unbelievable loss in my career against him last year because I never had as many chances as I had in that match, and I lost. It was a little bit in my mind today in the break points."
Murray upset Swiss great Roger Federer in last year's blockbuster final on the hardcourts at Qizhong Tennis Center. Nadal, seeking a record 20th ATP Masters title this week, was the Shanghai runner-up two years ago.
The world No. 4 Murray upset the second-ranked Nadal in last week's marquee finale in Tokyo.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nadal's third-round opponent on Thursday will be 15th-seeded German Florian Mayer, who recently titled in Bucharest, while the 2011 Aussie Open runner-up Murray will encounter 13th-seeded Swiss slugger Stanislas Wawrinka.
In other second-round action involving top-10 seeds, No. 3 David Ferrer topped on-the-mend Canadian Milos Raonic 7-5, 7-6 (9-7), hot sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych handled compatriot Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-3, and 47th-ranked Japanese Kei Nishikori cut down fourth-seeded French star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 6-4 in just under two-and-a-half hours. Berdych is fresh off his title in Beijing last week, which marked his first championship in two years.
Twelfth-seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov avoided an upset by overcoming Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, while more upsets occurred when Colombian Santiago Giraldo took out 14th-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) and former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero doused 16th-seeded fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two other second-round results saw Spain's Feliciano Lopez outlast improving American Alex Bogomolov Jr. 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3 and Aussie Matthew Ebden erase American and fellow qualifier Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-2.
Some other third-round matches on Thursday will pit Ferrer against his compatriot Ferrero, Berdych versus Lopez and seventh-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro against 10th-seeded American Andy Roddick.
The 2011 Shanghai champion will earn $620,000. This marks the eighth of nine ATP Masters tournaments this year.