on track

BEIJING (AP):

SERENA AND Venus Williams each had straight-set victories yesterday to stay on track for a possible matchup in the final, and Rafael Nadal also won his tennis match as he seeks his first Olympic medal.

Serena Williams raced into the third round at the Olympics, winning the final 10 games to beat Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-0. The match took only 44 minutes. Williams lost just five points in the second set, and dropped only six points on her serve in the match.

Seeded fourth, Williams is playing singles in the Olympics for the first time. She won the gold medal in 2000 at Sydney with sister Venus, who won the singles that year and who joined Serena in the third round yesterday by beating Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4.

They also won in doubles yesterday, and the toughest match was the one they played together. Venus and Serena rallied in first-round doubles to beat Iveta Benesova and Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

'Good feeling'

"I've never played singles at the Olympics, so this has been really cool for me," Serena said. "Every time I walk out there, it's like I'm playing in my match, but at the same time I have the whole US team on my side. It's good. I really like that feeling."

In men's singles, number-one-seeded Roger Federer earned an Olympic rematch today against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. Federer wept after losing to Berdych in the second round at the Athens Games four years ago.

"He has got a great game," Federer said. "Obviously I'm aware of the danger."

This time they'll meet in the third round. Federer advanced by beating Rafael Arevalo of El Salvador 6-2, 6-4. Berdych, seeded 17th, defeated Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3, 7-6 (4).

First Olympic medal

Number two Rafael Nadal sustained his summer surge by defeating Australian Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 6-2.

"Very happy about my performance," Nadal said. "I think I play one of my best matches in the last weeks on hard court."

Nadal and Federer seek their first Olympic medal, while the Williamses are trying to add to the family collection.

They won the gold in doubles at Sydney in 2000, and Venus won the singles that year.