Roger Federer waited until the last moment to start the rescue of his No.1 ranking, overcoming Robby Ginepri 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 on Tuesday at the ATP Cincinnati Masters. The second-round drama in two hours, 13 minutes showed the Swiss just how tough it will be to hold off the field as he tries to extend his 235 weeks on top of the rankings. With Rafael Nadal pressing, if Federer goes out in his title defense before the semifinals and the Spaniard wins the event - it would be his eighth of the season - the top ranking changes hands. Ginepri put on a show for home fans after losing to Federer in their four previous matches, winning a break-marred opening set in a tie-breaker after grabbing a 1-5 lead in the decider. Federer continued to have trouble in the second, losing serve in the 11th game for 5-6 and only just getting it back. Once again, the match needed a tie-breaker, with the Swiss surviving to force a third set. Suddenly, as if switching on a light, the top seed ran away to victory, with 20 aces, 78 winners but conversions on only six of 16 break points. In another second-round match, Swede Robin Soderling put out Spain's 12th seed Tommy Robredo 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Richard Gasquet advanced through an all-French showdown as Michael Llodra retired trailing 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 with an arm injury in the first round. American John Isner set an ATP record by winning very one of his 39 first-serve points as he beat Italian Andrea Stoppini 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 adding 187 aces to make his point. Two more French players advanced as Florent Serra beat Germany's Benjamin Becker 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Arnaud Clement won a battle of veterans over Swede Thomas Johansson 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3. Kuznetsova in 3rd round Former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova advance to the third round of the Rogers Cup when fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva retired in the second set with a right shoulder injury on Tuesday. Fourth-seeded Kuznetsova led 6-1, 1-0 at the time. In first-round matches, Victoria Azarenka, the 11th seed from Belarus, beat Jamea Jackson of the United States 6-1, 6-1, No. 12 Nadia Petrova of Russia routed Marie-Eve Pelletier of Canada 6-0, 6-1, 13th-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia beat Anne Keothavong of Britain 6-1, 7-5, and No. 15 Flavia Pennetta of Italy took out Olga Savchuk of Ukraine 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. Ai Sugiyama of Japan downed 16th-seeded Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Radwanska advances Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska beat Nathalie Dechy of France 6-2, 6-3 Tuesday in the first round of the Nordic Light Open in Stockholm. Barbora Zahalova Strycova of the Czech Republic beat Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4, and Cetkovska then refused to shake hands. Zahalova Strycova will meet fifth-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain in the second round. Medina Garrigues beat Swedish wild card Sandra Roma 6-3, 6-1. Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia also advanced to the second round, beating Anna Lapushchenkova of Russia 6-2, 6-1, while No. 4 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark had to work hard to overcome Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-4. Swede Johanna Larsson rallied from a set down to beat Julia Goerges 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6
