Painful passage for Murray

AP

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki v Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova during their second round match in the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, May 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Reuters

Paris

Fourth seed Andy Murray, grimacing in pain, battled his way into the third round of the French Open yesterday by defeating Finn Jarkko Nieminen 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 despite back problems.

Defending champion Rafa Nadal’s progress was rather more swift. The Spaniard, aiming for a record seventh French Open title, thrashed Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-2, 6-0.

Nadal and Murray were joined in the third round by French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who returned to complete a match suspended overnight because of rain and finished off German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Murray was a semi-finalist last year – his best result at the claycourt grand slam – but looked to be heading for an early exit in the first set of his match on Philippe Chatrier court.

He summoned the trainer three times and lay, with his teeth clenched, as his back was massaged, then got up again to move stiffly around the court. At changeovers, he stayed on his feet rather than sitting down.

Nieminen, however, was unable to take advantage and as the match progressed, and Murray loosened up and started going for more shots, the 48th-ranked Finn began hitting unforced errors.

When he hit a backhand out to give Murray breakpoint at 2-4 in the fourth set, Nieminen dashed his racket to the ground and stamped on it. His next action was a double fault and Murray found himself serving for the match.

Murray will now play Colombian Santiago Giraldo, who knocked out 25th seed Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.

“I’m not doing myself any actual damage by playing with what I have,” Murray said. “I have had all the best advice from some of the top surgeons and physios. I’m confident I’m doing the right thing.”

Nadal has lost only nine games in the first two rounds here but, after spending less than two hours on the Suzanne Lenglen court, said he still had things to work on despite his impressive form.

“Sure, I can improve things. The serve is the first one. I think I improved the level of my serve during the match but I started the match serving bad. That’s the thing I can improve a little bit.”

Nadal, who has won on clay in Monte Carlo, Rome and Barcelona this season, now faces either Florian Mayer of Germany or Argentine qualifier Eduardo Schwank.

Tsonga had gone off court on Wednesday evening level at one set all and 1-1 in the third with Stebe when rain fell on Roland Garros for the first time this week.

The Frenchman started yesterday with a break and needed less than an hour to see off Stebe and set up an appointment with Italian Fabio Fognini.

Tsonga was delighted that rain had cut short Wednesday’s play, saying he had had trouble concentrating.

Sixth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer had a straightforward 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over French player Benoit Paire and will now play 27th seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.

Women’s fourth seed Petra Kvitova, who has had a year marked by illness and injury, was in fine form on the Suzanne Lenglen court, swiftly beating Pole Urszula Radwanska 6-1, 6-3.

Defending champion Li Na enjoyed her second straight-sets win when she sped past Frenchwoman Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-0, 6-2 while former world number one Caroline Wozniacki was nearly as quick in beating Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova 6-1, 6-4.

Local favourite Arnaud Clement, the oldest man in the draw at 34, bade goodbye to Roland Garros after 15 appearances here with an emotional ceremony on court after his 3-6, 7-6, 0-6, 6-2, 6-1 defeat by David Goffin.