Murray, Nadal keep pace with Federer in New York

NEW YORK - Andy Murray ended the storybook return to tennis of American injury victim Taylor Dent with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 defeat to join Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the US Open.

The second-seeded Scot and number three Nadal are keeping pace with top seed Roger Federer, who is bidding for his sixth-straight title at Flushing Meadows and went earlier through into the final 16.

Murray Sunday notched his third win against Dent, who spent more than a year in a body cast after a series of back operations. The 28-year-old ranked 195 returned to the ATP last week in New Haven.

Murray won his 15th match in New York, where he lost the final a year ago to Federer.

The Scot, holder of five titles in 2009, was the first man to win 50 matches this season, and stands 56-8 since January.

Nadal shrugged off the pain of an abdominal strain to complete a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 win over Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro.

But the third seed, who missed Wimbledon with a knee injury, was in no mood to speak of his chances of fronting up for his fourth-round clash.

Nadal called for the trainer after the third game of the third set and was stretched out on the court for a spray and bandage on his abdomen.

“I don’t want to talk about injuries, sorry,” the six-time Grand Slam winner said.

“I’m a little bit tired to talk about injuries,” he said. “I’m here to try my best every day. I won the match in three sets. I’m happy for that. I’m going to try my best next round - that’s all.

Argentine threat Juan Del Potro, seeded sixth, advanced over Austrian Daniel Koellerer 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

French seeds moves through with number seven Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeating compatriot Julien Benneteau 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-4 and Gael Monfils, 13th, advancing 6-3, 6-4, 1-0 when Jose Acasuso retired.

In women’s play, Kim Clijsters picked up where she left off four years ago as the 2005 titleholder repeated history Sunday with a fourth-round defeat of Venus Williams as women’s upsets continued to mount.

The Belgian, who left tennis 27 months ago but returned with a daughter and a revitalized will to win, stunned two-time champion and third-seeded Williams in a momentum-shifting struggle 6-0, 0-6, 6-4.

Williams went onto the week-one scrapheap along with top seed Dinara Safina, defeated Friday by Czech Petra Kvitova; number four Elena Dementieva; and fifth seed Jelena Jankovic.

Clijsters beat Williams four years ago at Flushing Meadows in the quarter-finals on the way to her only Grand Slam title. In 2001, Williams did the same at the identical stage.

The 26-year-old Belgian, her toddler daughter Jade in the player creche but her US basketballer husband in the stands, reached the last eight in one and three-quarters hours in only her third event back on court.

“It was unbelievable,” said Clijsters, the lone women’s qualifier to get this far at the event since that stat was first kept 22 years ago. “It was such a weird match.

“When I lost the second set, I just told myself to start it all over again and fight for each point. I’ve worked really hard the last seven or eight months. I’m enjoying it and can balance us, both the family and the game.”

Clijsters next faces China’s Li Na, who put out Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-3.

Second seed Serena Williams earlier saved family honour as she crushed Slovak Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-0.