Blake Fashions a Win Over Martin, Reaches Final 16

The fashion icon with an innate sense of style, a big serve and an even bigger forehand created a palpable buzz on the marquee stage, Rod Laver Arena, today at the Australian Open.

If you are thinking it was Serena Williams, well, of course that’s not a bad guess. Instead it was James Blake, who signaled his official and highly anticipated arrival, reaching the final 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Blake faced off against a clever veteran, Alberto Martin of Spain, who had enough moxie to put out Lleyton Hewitt in the first round here last year. Martin’s court coverage is superb and unsettling, but Blake had enough patience and power to handle it, winning, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the third round in 2 hours 32 minutes.

The 23-year-old finished strongly, hitting four of his five aces in the final set, and will next play German Rainer Schuettler.

“I had a little jitters in the beginning. Once I got through that it felt good,” Blake said. “After I lost the second set, it was kind of a wake-up call for me to keep playing my game.”

Blake’s improvement has been tremendous. A year ago, he learned a key lesson after squandering a big lead in a second-round loss here against Stefan Koubek.

Though Martin had easily handled Blake in their only previous meeting, in 2000, losing only five games, the American gained extra confidence recently by knocking off the No. 1-ranked Hewitt in the Hopman Cup.

“I’m sure he wasn’t quite at his best, but I’m sure my kids and grandkids won’t know that when I tell them about it,” Blake said.

That statement was typical of Blake’s modesty. Williams played mixed doubles with him at the Hopman Cup, and expressed admiration for his character, his game and his trend-setting sleeveless shirt.

“I think he could be a politician one day,” Williams said. “He could definitely run for state governor and then president eventually because he says all the right things. Always have my notebook when I’m talking to James.

“He’s doing really well. Great for American tennis. Also seeing that he’s African American, that’s a good thing on the men’s side to have someone going out there and doing so well. It’s been awhile since Mal Washington. I love his new outfit. I think men should be able to wear whatever. You get to see their muscles, so I think it’s nice.”

One of Blake’s Davis Cup teammates, Andy Roddick, stuck to a conventional shirt but was just as overwhelming in his third-round victory later in the day.

The ninth-seeded Roddick defeated Fernando Vicente of Spain, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, and meets Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, who upset No. 7 Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Roddick and Blake joined Andre Agassi in the final 16, and another American, Mardy Fish, came within a few points of making it a foursome. On Friday, Fish led South African veteran Wayne Ferreira, 4-1, in the fourth set, but unraveled in unsightly fashion, losing the final 11 games. The meltdown included a fifth-set tantrum over a perceived missed line call, a smashed racket and a healthy smack against the chair umpire stand.

Fish escaped a fine, as of today.

“I probably overreacted -- probably -- a little bit,” Fish said. “That’s probably the least amount I’ve ever done to get a code violation.”

Today, two seeded players among the women went out in mild third-round upsets.

Russian teenager Elena Bovina beat No. 11 Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, in 2 hours 38 minutes, and Eleni Daniilidou of Greece defeated No. 16 Nathalie Dechy of France, 6-4, 6-3.

For the 19-year-old Bovina, it was her first win in three matches against Maleeva. Bovina will play Meghann Shaughnessy in the fourth round.

The top-seeded Williams and No. 4 Kim Clijsters spent limited time on the court.

Clijsters, who has lost only six games in three rounds, dispatched Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus, 6-2, 6-1, in 55 minutes and Williams beat Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, 6-1, 6-1, in 46 minutes.

Another American woman reached the final 16 as No. 10 Chanda Rubin defeated qualifier Barbara Schwartz of Austria, 6-3, 6-2.