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| February 17, 2007 | Saturday | Muharram 28, 1428 |
Hewitt falls prey to curse of seeds
MARSEILLE (France), Feb 16: Australia’s former world number one Lleyton Hewitt became the latest high-profile casualty at the ATP Marseille Open here on Thursday as he retired with a thigh injury.
The 25-year-old eighth seed was joined on the sidelines by fifth seed David Ferrer, the Spaniard being ousted in three sets by Frenchman Julien Benneteau as they joined the top three seeds who went out on Wednesday.
Hewitt, who had had a tough three setter on Wednesday, felt pain in his right thigh after the first set in his match with Gilles Simon and had no option but to call it a day.
Ferrer collapsed completely after winning the first set 6-4, only winning one more game as Benneteau dominated the match.
However, for his compatriot Nicolas Mahut there was to be no repeat of his heroics on Wednesday, when he downed Croatian second seed Ivan Ljubicic, as he bowed out to Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
There are just two seeds left standing after Frenchman Richard Gasquet, the sixth seed beat compatriot Marc Giquel later on Thursday in straight sets and Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, seeded seven, also progressed against another Frenchman Cyril Saulnier in two sets.
Results (x denotes seeding):
Second round: Marcos Baghdatis (CYP x7) bt Cyril Saulnier (FRA) 6-4, 6-3; Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt David Ferrer (ESP x5) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1; Robin Soderling (SWE) bt Thomas Johansson (SWE) 6-4, 7-5; Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) bt Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) bt Fabrice Santoro (FRA) 6-7, 6-2, 6-3; Jonas Bjorkmann (SWE) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-1, 6-0; Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x8) 6-1, 3-2 – retired; Richard Gasquet (FRA x6) bt Marc Giquel (FRA) 7-6, 6-2.
BLAKE TROUNCED
SAN JOSE (California): Unseeded Croatian Ivo Karlovic upset second seeded American James Blake 6-7 (4), 7-6 (11), 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals of the SAP Open on Thursday.
Karlovic, a Croatian, ranked 103rd in the world, used 29 aces to beat the sixth-ranked Blake. Karlovic saved five match points in the second tiebreaker.
Top-seeded Andy Roddick defeated wild-card Sam Querrey in workmanlike fashion, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to advance to the quarter-finals.
Blake had Karlovic down 30-love in the second set while leading 5-4, but Karlovic came back to tie the match 5-5 and win it in the tiebreaker.
After taking the set, Karlovic began to attack Blake’s game instead of relying on his booming serve, which was clocked at more than 140 mph.
Karlovic is coming off a left knee injury last year. He faces fifth-seeded Mardy Fish, who defeated Sam Warburg 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Roddick, the fourth-ranked player in the world, improved his SAP Open record to 19-3, but had trouble with his serve all night, delivering just 11 aces.
Querry stayed alive by serving 20 aces, but was done in when Roddick converted on triple match point during the tiebreaker. Roddick will face eighth-seeded Vincent Spadea in the quarter-finals.
Fourth-seeded Marat Safin of Russia also advanced when he defeated unseeded Lu Yen-hsun of Chinese Taipei 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Safin faces Germany's Benjamin Becker in the quarter-finals.
Earlier on Thursday, Hyung-Taik Lee, Becker and Spadea also reached the quarter-finals. Lee beat Simon Greul 6-2, 7-6, Becker downed Bjorn Phau 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 and Spadea outlasted Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 7-5, 7-6.
The quarter-finals will also feature Lee against defending champion Andy Murray.
Results:
Second round: Benjamin Becker (GER x6) bt Bjorn Phau (GER) 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-3; Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR x7) bt Simon Greul (GER) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3); Vincent Spadea (US x8) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8/6); Mardy Fish (US x5) bt Sam Warburg (US) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2; Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt James Blake (US x2) 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (13/11), 6-4; Marat Safin (RUS x4) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Andy Roddick (US x1) bt Sam Querrey (US) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
KUERTEN BEATEN
BAHIA (Brazil): Gustavo Kuerten's comeback was quickly derailed at the Brazil Open on Thursday as he lost his second round tie 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to fellow Brazilian Flavio Saretta.
The 30-year-old, former world number one, who has battled a chronic hip injury since winning the last of his three French Open titles in 2001, won his first match in 18 months in the first round when he ousted Italy's Filippo Volandri.
But he could not keep the run going against his Davis Cup team-mate in a tie that was interrupted by rain.
Results:
Second round: Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP x1) bt Nicolas Devilder (FRA) 6-2, 6-4; Potito Starace (ITA) bt Martin Vassallo (ARG) 7-5, 6-3; Agustin Calleri (ARG x2) bt Albert Montanes (ESP) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Nicolas Almagro (ESP x3) bt Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) 6-3, 6-3; Flavio Saretta (BRA) bt Gustavo Kuerten (BRA) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
CHAKVETADZE IN LAST FOUR
ANTWERP (Belgium): Russian seventh seed Anna Chakvetadze beat third-seeded compatriot Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-4 to qualify for the semi-finals of the 600,000-dollars WTA event here on Friday.
The 19-year-old Chakvetadze played a solid game with few errors to beat an uninspired opponent in one hour, 26 minutes.
Chakvetadze will now meet the winner of the battle between top seed Amelie Mauresmo of France and Russia's sixth seed Dinara Safina.
SHVEDOVA STUNS SANIA
BANGALORE: Defending champion Mara Santangelo of Italy cruised past Japan's Yurika Sema 6-1, 6-4 on Friday to book her spot in the Bangalore Open semi-finals.
Unseeded Russian Yaraslova Shvedova knocked out second-seeded Sania Mirza of India 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4 in another quarter-final.
Shvedova's semi-final opponent will be another unseeded player, Tzipora Obziler of Israel who continued her impressive run by overcoming Hungary's Melinda Czink 6-4, 7-6 (3) to advance to the final four.
Broken in the second and sixth games, Sema's poor service allowed the top-seeded Santangelo to dominate the first set.
Sema rallied from 0-3 down to draw level at 3-3 before Santangelo raced away with the win.
Sania clinched the first set tiebreaker after all games went with service, but Shvedova bounced back by putting pressure on Sania's backhand.
Obziler, 34, features among the oldest players on the circuit, but Saturday’s semi-finals appearance means this is the first time she will break into the WTA top-100. —Agencies
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