IANS
Basel (Switzerland), Oct 26: An inspired Roger Federer bore down on a second straight title at home with a 6-1, 6-4 thumping of Argentine Juan del Potro at the Swiss Indoor championships to reach the quarter-finals.
Four days after losing a tough final in Madrid to David Nalbandian, world number one Federer found his groove on Thursday in front of the public that has supported him since he the beginning of his career.
"Every event has a different atmosphere, but it's obviously special here," said the holder of 12 Grand Slam singles titles. "Today I felt more comfortable than in the first match.
"I was happy with how this one went," Federer said of the 58-minute rout. "I got out of the blocks fast and when he made errors I took advantage. I kept my errors to a minimum."
Federer bids for an 8-0 win streak in Basel Friday after lifting last year's title, taking on Nicolas Kiefer whom he's beaten in their last eight meetings.
The unseeded German booked his place as he hammered Stefan Koubek of Austria 6-3, 6-2.
Second seed Fernando Gonzalez kept his hopes alive for a place in the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) over qualifier Roko Karanusic.
The Chilean winner stands provisional seventh for a place in the eight-man field in Shanghai, with three spots to be determined by the end of next week when the ATP regular season ends in Paris.
Croatian Ivo Karlovic rained down 24 aces on American James Blake to drive the fourth seed out 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 and keep Blake fighting for his Shanghai spot.
The second-round setback against the 2.08-metre Karlovic leaves provisional tenth Blake with all to play for next week.
The American is not stressing about his odds of repeating his trip to China.
"I'm not worrying about Shanghai, it's not my (specific) goal to make it there. But I feel good about my game. I could do well next week in Paris or I could meet someone who's serving huge in the first round.
"But I have my chances if I play really well."
Against this month's Stockholm champion Karlovic, Blake got off to a good start as he lifted the opening set.
But the huge serves of the giant Croatian began to tell, with Blake's baseline game unable to make an impression.
"It was tough to get a rhythm, especially when he was hitting two or three aces a game," said Blake. "But I knew that going in.
"I played one bad game and that was the match. He takes the racquet out of your hands on most points."
Czech Tomas Berdych, 12th in the Shanghai sprint, kept his chances alive as he ousted Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, a 2006 semi-finalist, 7-5, 6-4.
Finn Jarkko Nieminen produced his second set of heroics in three days, as he rallied to knock out sixth seed Guillermo Canas 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
After coming from 1-5 down in his opening match, Nieminen produced his best effort in saving the day against Canas, who beat Federer twice in a row last spring.
The Finn saved a match point in the tenth game of the final set to level at five games apiece. A concluding break put Nieminen into the last eight in his first Basel appearance.