INDIAN WELLS, California (AFP) - Defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the fourth round of the Indian Wells ATP Masters Series here Monday, defeating big-serving US youngster Donald Young 6-1, 6-3.
Nadal, ranked number two in the world and seeded second behind world number one Roger Federer, took full advantage of Young's inconsistency early in the match to pocket the first set quickly.
Young, 18, steadied in the second set, but was broken in the sixth game to trail 2-4. With Nadal serving for the match at 5-3, Young was unable to capitalize on one break point and the Spaniard duly served out the match.
Nadal next faces either Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Paul-Henri Mathieu, who were meeting in an all-French clash.
France's Richard Gasquet, the eighth seed, got the men's action off to a brisk start with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela.
Gasquet next faces ninth-seeded American James Blake, who beat former world number one Carlos Moya of Spain 6-3, 6-4.
Blake, who evened his career head-to-head against Moya at six wins apiece, said he was reminded of his first win against the Spaniard, which came at Indian Wells in 2003.
"This was the first place I ever beat him. That held a lot of memories for me, because he was a guy that beat me a couple of times early in my career, and I wondered if I'd ever get over that hump and be able to play a top player like him," Blake said.
Third-seeded Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic capped the night session in this 5.7 million-dollar tournament, which features a WTA tier one event as well as the men's Masters Series.
Australian Open semi-finalist Jelena Jankovic reached the women's fourth round with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama.
Jankovic, ranked number four in the world and seeded third, encountered little resistance from Sugiyama and said her biggest concern was to maintain her focus in the breezy conditions.
"I really tried to do my job out there. I didn't want to let her get into the match," she said.
"Especially with the wind you cannot lose your concentration, because as soon as you do that you start making a lot of errors, and then you lose your rhythm," added Jankovic, who said her four double-faults in the second set were a direct result of the wind.
"I was tossing it, and I had a different toss every time," she said. "Also changing sides, the wind goes one direction, and at the other, obviously, the other way. But I was focused on the returns, so I could manage to finish the match."
Jankovic's compatriot Ana Ivanovic, the top seed, was to open the night session against Italy's Tathiana Garbin.
Ivanovic, who like all 32 men's and women's seeds had a first-round bye, enjoyed a breakout season in 2007, with titles in Berlin, Los Angeles and Luxembourg, and her runner-up finish to Maria Sharapova at the Australian open propelled her to number two in the world.
France's Marion Bartoli, the sixth seed, labored to a 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) victory over German Angelique Kerber.
Bartoli was up 6-3, 5-1, but couldn't put the victory away until her eighth match point.
"I was feeling good until 6-3, 5-1," Bartoli said. "I guess a one-hour match was too quick for me and I stayed a bit longer on the court to practice.
"Sometimes it happens," Bartoli added. "Even if you try to close out in the match it's not happening. She has some luck on a few shots - she made a dropshot that she will never make on another match point. It happens."
In another marquee women's match, former world number one Lindsay Davenport, a two-time winner of this event, faced Taiwan's Chan Yung-Jan.
The 31-year-old American, who took nearly a year off the tour to have a baby, has won two titles already this year.
