August 04, 2006	Friday	Rajab 8, 1427

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WASHINGTON, Aug 3: Third seed Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the third round of the Legg Mason Classic with a gritty 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 victory over an upset-minded Vincent Spadea in a two-hour, 32-minute slugfest on Wednesday.

In other matches involving seeds, number seven Dmitry Tursunov of Russia defeated Edgardo Massa 3-6, 6-1, 3-3 when the Argentinean retired with an injury to his right shoulder.

Also advancing was eighth seeded Andy Murray of Britain, playing his first match under the tutelage of new coach Brad Gilbert, who stopped Paraguay's Ramon Delgado 6-4, 6-3.

Wednesday’s results:

Second round: Hyung-Taik Lee (South Korea) beat 10-Julien Benneteau (France) 6-3, 6-4; 3-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Vince Spadea (US) 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; 5-Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) beat Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; 12-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-4, 6-4; 16-Mardy Fish (US) beat Tomas Zib (Czech Republic) 6-4, 6-4; Jan-Michael Gambill (US) beat Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia & Montenegro) 2-6, 6-3, 6-0; 7-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat Edgardo Massa (Argentina) 3-6, 6-1, 3-3 – Massa retired; 8-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Ramon Delgado (Paraguay) 6-4, 6-3; Denis Gremelmayr (Germany) beat 13-Bjoern Phau (Germany) 6-4, 6-3.

PIERCE ENDS ABSENCE

SAN DIEGO: Defending champion Mary Pierce was made to struggle in her first competitive match for six months before progressing to the third round of the Acura Classic on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old sixth seed, who has not played since February after tearing ligaments in her foot, edged past Austria's Sybille Bammer 6-1, 6-7, 7-6

Third seed Nadia Petrova was not so fortunate in her first match in over two months when she was upset 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 by fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze.

Top seed Kim Clijsters crushed Australia's Samantha Stosur 6-1, 6-2 in the second round.

Pierce struggled with her form much of the day, throwing away three match points with forehand errors in the second set tiebreaker, which she lost 9-7.

But the two-time Grand Slam champion stood strong in the third set against the left-handed Austrian, mixing heavy blows from the baseline with occasional net rushes.

Pierce reached two Grand Slam finals last year at the French and US Opens Chakvetadze will play another teenager, Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, who destroyed American qualifier Amy Frazier 6-3, 6-2.

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva took down American Ashley Harkleroad 6-2, 6-2 and will face India's Sania Mirza, who upended 15th seed Katarina Srebotnik 6-3, 7-6.

Russia's Vera Zvonareva advanced when China's Peng Shuai retired with heat illness. Peng had won the first set 6-3 and was two points from winning the match in the tiebreaker before she lost the second set 7-6 (7-5) and then retired.

Zvonareva will now face second seed Maria Sharapova.

Flavia Pennetta of Italy, seeded 12, overcame American Jamea Jackson 6-2, 7-6 and will play eighth seed Martina Hingis.

Results:

Second round: 5-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 6-4, 6-1; 1-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-1, 6-2; Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat 3-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2; Emma Laine (Finland) beat Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-7 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; 6-Mary Pierce (France) beat Sybille Bammer (Austria) 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-4); Jelena Jankovic (Serbia & Montenegro) beat Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4); Sania Mirza (India) beat 15-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); 12-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat Jamea Jackson (US) 6-2, 7-6 (7-1); Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Shuai Peng (China) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) – Peng retired; 14-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia & Montenegro) beat Amy Frazier (US) 6-3, 6-2; Paola Suarez (Argentina) beat Katerina Bondarenko (Ukraine) 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3; 4-Elena Dementieva (Russia) beat Ashley Harkleroad (US) 6-2, 6-2; 11-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Olga Savchuk (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-4.—Reuters