Nikolay over Rusedski

from the Rotterdam official site:

''For a while, it seemed as if Greg Rusedski would cause a major upset by disposing of another seeded player. Although he led Nikolay Davydenko 4-2 in the opening set, he was unable to keep the Russian at bay. Not by any stretch of the imagination. A little over 30 minutes later, a disappointed Rusedski walked off court, having won just one more game. The scoreboard said it all: 6-4, 6-1 in a little over 53 minutes.

Although Davydenko is seeded second, the last-minute withdrawal of Rafael Nadal effectively makes him the tournament favourite. The Russian has won all previous encounters with Rusedski, who is Canadian by birth. And it's not too difficult to see why ?Davydenko not only has an excellent return of service, allowing him to neutralise Rusedski's most important weapon, he also outguns the left-hander during their rallies.

Davydenko next plays either Danielle Bracciali (a qualifier) or Alex Calatrava (a lucky loser). At first sight, it seems an easy draw. Even if Davydenko thinks likewise, he's never let it show. As a seasoned professional, he realises only too well that there are no easy matches.''

Davydenko through despite foot injury

For a while, it seemed as if the injury epidemic that caused 13 players to withdraw from the tournament had also found Nikolay Davydenko. During the third game of the second set, Davydenko asked a physiotherapist to attend to his left foot, which caused him considerable discomfort. Luckily, the injury was less serious than it appeared, allowing the Russian to resume his match against Thomas Hernych. He went on to win in straight sets: 6-3, 6-3.

Davydenko next plays Service Slammer Greg Rusedski of Great Britain. “An old acquaintance”, he grinned as he walked off court amidst loud applause. “Unless you’re able to read his service, you’re fighting a losing battle.”
Davydenko proved today that he is in excellent form at present. Hernych did have a few chances though. He managed to secure several breakpoints, but each time his Russian opponent produced the shots he needed. Davydenko kept his opponent at bay with powerful baseline strokes, at times wrong-footing Hernych completely. Last week, Davydenko and his fellow-countrymen convincingly beat the Dutch Davis Cup team in Amsterdam (5-0). Although he’s the No 1 seed here this year, he doesn’t feel any pressure: “I always want to play the best I can, no matter where I am”. Music to Richard Krajicek’s ears