MONACO, April 20: Two-time defending champion and second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday losing 6-2, 6-3 in the first round to Spanish countryman and wildcard Alex Corretja.
French Open champion Ferrero, who was the highest seeded player left in the tournament after the withdrawal of Andy Roddick, is now without a title since the Madrid Masters last October. The defeat came less than a week after he had lost his grip on another title he possessed when he was a semi-final loser in Valencia.
His meek 68-minute defeat to the 30-year-old Corretja was only his second loss to his countryman in six meetings and such was the manner of his one-sided capitulation that there will be serious doubts over his ability to hang on to his Roland Garros crown next month.
Ferrero lost his serve twice in the opening set which he surrendered in just 34 minutes with Corretja, twice a French Open runner-up, enjoying an error-free set while his countryman hit 15.
The second seed committed 13 more unforced errors in the second set as he lost serve again in the sixth game and then surrendered the match when Corretja hit an ace. Ferrero was joined on the sidelines by another seeded player with Thailand's 10th seed Paradorn Srichaphan knocked out by Argentinian clay court specialist and weekend Estoril winner Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-3.
Unlike Ferrero, fellow ex-world number ones Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin staged stirring recoveries from a set down to reach the second round. Hewitt defeated Frenchman Julien Benneteau 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to claim his first career win here while Safin, a runner-up at Estoril last week, beat Belgium's Olivier Rochus 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Hewitt, seeded 16, lost on his only other previous appearance in the first round in 2002 to Carlos Moya when he was top seed, and he appeared to be heading for another early exit Tuesday before he recovered after 1hr 48min to set up a second round match against Gaston Gaudio of Argentina.
Safin, still feeling his way back after missing most of 2003 with a wrist injury, clinched his third career win over pint-sized Rochus who had stunned the giant Russian at Wimbledon in 2002.
His victory was a marathon affair taking 2hr 15min as he aims to improve on his best record here of reaching the quarterfinals in 2002. Hewitt was joined in the second round by countryman Wayne Arthurs who defeated Frenchman Thierry Ascione 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 after reaching the main draw as a lucky loser when Roddick pulled out.
There were also wins for last year's French Open runner-up Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands, the 14th seed, who beat Spain's Albert Portas 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, eighth seeded Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean saw off countryman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-2 while seventh seeded Argentinian David Nalbandian beat Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-0.
Results (first round): Alex Corretja bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2, 6-3; Carlos Moya bt Sargis Sargsian 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3; David Nalbandian bt Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-0; Juan Ignacio Chela bt Paradorn Srichaphan 6-4, 6-3; Feliciano Lopez bt Robin Soderling 7-5, 6-4; Martin Verkerk bt Albert Portas 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; Wayne Arthurs bt Thierry Ascione 7-6 (7/5), 6-4; Sebastien Grosjean bt Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-2; Marat Safin bt Olivier Rochus 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Gaston Gaudio bt Filippo Volandri 4-6, 7-5, 6-4; Jonas Bjorkman bt Nicolas Mahut 6-1, 3-6, 7-5; Alberto Martin bt Guillermo Canas 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Lleyton Hewitt bt Julien Benneteau 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Nicolas Massu bt Flavio Saretta 6-3, 6-0; Nicolas Escude bt Gregory Carraz 6-4, 6-2; Andrei Pavel bt Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-3; Tommy Haas bt Xavier Malisse 6-3 6-4. -AFP
