Big names advance to quarterfinals

No problem: Rafael Nadal hits a return against Marcel Granollers during their match on Thursday in Rome. AP

ROME — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic overcame a poor first set and a smashed racket to beat Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday.

Also through at Foro Italico were five-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena and Venus Williams and French Open champ Li Na. However, top-ranked Victoria Azarenka withdrew with a right shoulder injury.

With the wind whipping the red clay into the air, Djokovic struggled with his serve and backhand in the opening set before settling down and wearing out Monaco.

"It was a very strange match. It was difficult to play with that wind but the conditions were the same for both us, he just handled it better at the start," Djokovic said, switching between Italian and English. "I was playing far too defensively and passively and he was controlling everything. He was the better player for a set and a half."

Djokovic next meets fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who cruised past No. 10 Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-1.

Federer also dropped a set in a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 win over 2001 Rome winner Juan Carlos Ferrero. However, except for a brief lapse that resulted in a costly break at the end of the second set, Federer controlled with expert serving and an array of winners on a cool and crisp evening with little humidity.

The 16-time Grand Slam winner faces top Italian Andreas Seppi, who outlasted Stanislas Wawrinka 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6) — after Wawrinka wasted six match points.

Earlier, Nadal routed Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-1 and will next meet seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych, who eliminated Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Berdych was the runnerup to Federer in Madrid, where Djokovic and Nadal lost in the quarterfinals on the blue clay.

On the women's side, the Williams sisters advanced easily.

Ninth-seeded Serena rolled past Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-3, 6-1.Serena's quarterfinal opponent will be Italian hope Flavia Pennetta, who routed Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-1.

Older sister Venus eliminated fifth-seeded Sam Stosur 6-4, 6-3. She will next face defending champion Maria Sharapova, who beat 2008 French Open champ Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 after saving three set points in the first.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova struggled before advancing with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Her quarterfinal opponent will be Angelique Kerber, who easily beat fellow German Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-1.

Li eliminated Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 and will meet Dominika Cibulkova, who advanced at Azarenka's expense.

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