INDIAN WELLS // Rafa Nadal, the world No 1, romped into the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday with a crushing 6-2, 6-1 victory over the German Michael Berrer.
The Spaniard made mincemeat out of the world No 112, marching through in just 67 minutes.
Champion Novak Djokovic had a harder time of it before beating Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 7-5, 6-4, while the sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro and No 7 Andy Roddick also advanced.
Nadal, who will play Dmitry Tursunov in the third round, broke Berrer in the first game and dominated the German from the baseline while outclassing him in every department. "For me, it was perfect," Nadal said. "I played a very comfortable match.
"I had the break in the first game in both sets, so that's really important. I felt well on court, playing good."
Djokovic, the third seed from Serbia, was never at his fluent best but eased past Vassallo Arguello to book a clash with Tommy Haas.
After trading early breaks, Djokovic broke the Argentine's serve for the second time in the 11th game, and served out for the set.
The vital break in the second set came in the seventh game and Djokovic held the advantage to clinch victory.
Djokovic has been struggling to repeat the form he showed in the first few months of 2008, when he won his first grand slam title at the Australian Open and then triumphed in Indian Wells.
A switch in rackets in the off-season left him low on confidence but after winning the title in Dubai last month, the world No 3 believes he is getting back on track.
"The quality is there. The game is there. The fitness is getting much better. It's just a mental ability to play the best tennis," he said.
Del Potro beat the American Ryan Sweeting 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 while the seventh-seeded Andy Roddick ousted Austrian Daniel Koellerer 6-1, 7-6. "I played okay. There's certainly room for improvement, but a win is a win," Roddick said.
David Nalbandian, David Ferrer, Nicolas Kiefer and Stanislas Wawrinka all advanced to the third round.
* Reuters
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The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
