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HALLE (Germany), June 10: Second seed Roger Federer overcame an uncertain start to beat Germany’s Hendrik Dreekmann 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of the ATP tennis tournament Monday.
Switzerland’s Federer, ranked fourth in the ATP Champions Race, lost the opening set tie-break 7-5 before raising his game and breaking the German twice in the subsequent two sets in this grass-court tournament warm-up for Wimbledon.
Federer had stumbled in the first round of the French Open after winning the German Open in Hamburg last month and appeared initially to be caught flat-footed against Dreekmann, who was making his comeback after two years off the circuit.
But the 20-year-old Swiss player eventually took control and went on to convert his fourth match point to win in one hour and 50 minutes.
Sixth seed Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco was beaten 6-2, 6-4 by Federer’s compatriot Michel Kratochvil.
Monday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):
First round: 2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Hendrik Dreekmann (Germany) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4; David Prinosil (Germany) beat Dick Norman (Belgium) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; Michel Kratochvil (Switzerland) beat 6-Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco) 6-2, 6-4; Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) beat Davide Sanguinetti (Italy) 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2; Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) beat Lars Burgmueller (Germany) 6-2, 6-2; Alexander Popp (Germany) beat Razvan Sabau (Romania) 7-5, 6-3; Bohdan Ulihrach (Czech Republic) beat Attila Savolt (Hungary) 6-4 — retired; Cyril Saulnier (France) beat Ivo Heuberger (Switzerland) 4-1 — retired.
LONDON: Torrential showers were causing havoc at the Stella Artois Championships Monday, interrupting play at the pre-Wimbledon grasscourt event.
No matches had been completed by 1630 GMT as rain fell over London’s Queen’s Club.
Former champion Mark Philippoussis was due to take on Britain’s Martin Lee in the first round, while former Wimbledon runner-up Cedric Pioline was to face American Mike Bryan.
Neither match had started.
Switzerland’s Marc Rosset was trailing Britain’s Arvind Parmar 6-5 when rain forced the players off court for a second time.
Another Briton, Jamie Delgado was trailing Cecil Mamiit by a set but was serving at 5-4 up in the second to square the match.
Organisers were resigned to a slow start to the grasscourt event as the forecast was bleak, with showers predicted all day.
Australian Lleyton Hewitt is top seed for the event, looking to win the trophy for a third successive time.
He was given a first round bye, along with Britain’s second seed Tim Henman.
Meanwhile, former Wimbledon finalist Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario has pulled out of this year’s tournament.
Wimbledon referee Alan Mills said in a statement Monday, two weeks before start of the grasscourt tournament: “She is withdrawing due to extreme exhaustion.”
The 30-year-old Spaniard, better known for her claycourt exploits having triumphed three times at the French Open, was Wimbledon runner-up to Steffi Graf in 1995 and 1996.
Having played in 45 consecutive majors, this will be the first time Sanchez-Vicario has missed a Grand Slam event since the 1990 Australian Open.—Reuters
