THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAMBURG, Germany -- Top-ranked Roger Federer and No. 3 Novak Djokovic cruised into the third round of the Hamburg Masters on Wednesday. Second-ranked Rafael Nadal had to work harder. Federer eased past Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, and Djokovic downed Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-1. Djokvic, seeking consecutive titles after winning the Rome Masters, had 34 winners to Chela's 11. Nadal needed a tiebreaker to overcome Potito Starace 6-4, 7-6 (6), while James Blake was upset by Janko Tipsarevic 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic is attempting to surpass Nadal as the No. 2 player on the ATP tour, and could move ahead next week. Nadal has held the spot a record 147 consecutive weeks. Nieminen had never won a set in eight previous matches against Federer, who looked comfortable from the start on the sunny centre court. "When I got on the centre court I felt good, I had so much success here. I hit a winner down the line on my first shot and I thought, 'This place really works for me,"' Federer said. The defending champion used a full range of shots to dominate the first set, taking a 4-1 lead with a powerful forehand winner past the stranded Nieminen. The second set was a sloppy affair, with four straight breaks of serve at the start. Federer then made the decisive move with another break for a 4-3 lead and wrapped up the match in under one hour. He had 22 winners, twice as many as Nieminen. Nadal spent more than two hours on the court against the 47th-ranked player. He escaped in the tiebreaker, when Starace won three straight points to gain a set point. But he double-faulted, then hit an open forehand into the net. Nadal used a volley to win the match. Nadal lost recently in Rome, in the third round to Juan Carlos Ferrero, when he had a blister on his right foot. It was only Nadal's second loss in his last 105 matches on clay. The other loss was to Federer in the Hamburg final last year. "I didn't practice much this week, so I am happy with the match. I had the right attitude," Nadal said. Blake broke Tipsarevic's serve to win the first set, but the tenacious 33rd-ranked Tipsarevic got steadier in the second set and then broke Blake's serve for a 2-0 lead in the third. Also, Nicolas Kiefer defeated Slanislas Wawrinka 7-5, 7-5. Kiefer saved two set points in the second after dropping his serve, then tied the set at 5-5 and won on his second match point when Wawrinka's forehand hit the net. Ivo Karlovic upset Tommy Robredo, the 2006 champion, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Also, Marat Safin beat ninth-seeded Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-4, Juan Monaco defeated Simone Bolelli 6-2, 6-1 and Albert Montanes ousted Jose Acasuso 7-6 (3), 6-3. Safin, a two-time runner-up in Hamburg, had to qualify for the main draw after dropping to No. 89, and is the lowest-ranked player remaining in the event.
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