Nadal, Federer ease into last 16 in Miami

WORLDs number one, Rafael Nadal and third seed Roger Federer made smooth progress into the last 16 of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.Nadal saw off fellow Spaniard, and good friend, Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-3 after Federer had earlier beaten Argentine Juan Monaco 7-6, (7-4) 6-4.Seventh seed Tomas Berdych joined them in round four with a 7-6, (10-8) 7-5 defeat of Carlos Berlocq.Second seed Novak Djokovic and in-form Juan Martin del Potro won on Sunday.Federer will next play Belgian Olivier Rochus, who saw off 13th seed Mikhail Youzhny 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, while Nadal awaits the winner of the match between Alexandr Dolgopolov and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.Nadal said after his win over Lopez that he was more concerned about landing his first title of 2011 than defending his number one status or the ranking points he accrued at this stage last season.I know Im number one in the ranking right now, but I am number six this year. I didnt play for a month, said the 24-year-old.For me, every year I start from zero. Right now I am number six, and I would love to play well in the next tournaments and have the chances to be in a better position.After edging past Monaco, Federer claimed he was happy enough with his performances towards the end of 2010 and in the opening months of this year.Asked whether being the third seed in Miami has affected his approach, he said: Ive been in the semis with Rafael beforehand, so its not something thats completely new to us.People talk about it like its not been a good last six, seven months [for me] just because Im number three in the world.But Rafa and Novak have been exceptional of late, and Ive done really, really well. So its up to me to step it up or just maintain that level of play and Ill get  my chance.
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