June 12, 2003	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 11, 1424

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HALLE, Germany, June 11: Rainer Schuettler’s hopes of a first title on home soil ended on Wednesday when he lost to Czech Radek Stepanek in the Halle Open second round.

The second-seeded German saved two match points to force the match into a deciding set, but Stepanek recovered to clinch a 6-4 6-7 6-3 victory.

“My best shot is my return and I didn’t return well enough today,” Schuettler said. “He (Stepanek) has a good serve and it’s tough to win on grass if you’re not returning well.”

Stepanek, who came into the event with a career-high ranking of 40, plays another home favourite, Nicolas Kiefer, in the quarter-finals.

The Czech displayed a range of grasscourt skills and seemed on the verge of a straight-sets victory when leading a second-set tiebreak 6-4.

However, two nervy errors allowed Schuettler back into the match and he took advantage to level at one set apiece.

The third set hinged on one break of serve in the sixth game and it was Stepanek who grabbed it, and this time he held on for victory.

“I made too many mistakes in that game and that was the match,” Schuettler said.

Kiefer earlier edged out Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in a tense match to reach his first quarter-final of the year.

The German, who has slipped down to 73rd in the rankings, battled to a 6-1 3-6 7-5 victory — the first time he has won back-to-back matches since October.

Kiefer, a former Halle champion and runner-up to Yevgeny Kafelnikov last year, raced through the opening set with some superb grasscourt play.

But Lopez, who upset seventh seed Nikolay Davydenko in the first round, then found his range on serve to take the second set with one break.

Kiefer had to save three break points in the seventh game of the decider and went on to punish Lopez for a sloppy service game.

“Every match I win I find a small piece of my game,” Kiefer said. “The most important thing today was that I always believed I could do it.

“I had a great start, then he started to serve well but I kept on fighting and I was just waiting for my chance.”

Jiri Novak and Mikhail Youzhny will meet in the quarter-finals after enjoying comfortable second-round victories.

Third seed Novak was impressive as he dismissed Austrian Stefan Koubek 6-4 6-3.

Mikhail Youzhny, seeded six, enjoyed a convincing 6-4 7-5 victory over Swede Jonas Bjorkman.

In a first round match held over from Tuesday because of rain, Frenchman Fabrice Santoro beat American Brian Vahaly 6-2 4-6 6-3.

First round: Fabrice Santoro (France) bt Brian Vahaly (U.S.) 6-2 4-6 6-3

Second round: Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) bt Stefan Koubek (Austria) 6-4 6-3; Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt-Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3; Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) bt Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-1 3-6 7-5; Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) 6-4 7-5.