October 25, 2007	Thursday	Shawwal 12, 1428

BASEL (Switzerland), Oct 24: Roger Federer shifted his impeccable tennis back on course after a weekend finals loss, but had to survive a scare from a German giant to reach the second round of the Swiss Indoors on Tuesday.

Michael Berrer, a hulking 100kg and 1.90 metres, threatened to rewrite the script of Federer’s 2007 Basel tennis homecoming, winning a set before finally falling 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 after nearly 90 minutes.

Federer needed all of his powers of concentration to put aside his three-set Madrid Masters disappointment against David Nalbandian just 48 hours earlier.

Second seed and 2005 winner Fernando Gonzalez also advanced as he subdued a challenge from France’s Jereme Haehnel 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

Federer missed a chance to lift his seventh trophy of the season in Spain but is fine-tuning this week and next for the season-ending Masters Cup from November 11 in Shanghai.

The Swiss again leads the eight-man field, with up to 20 contenders struggling for the last three places.

Against Berrer, Federer ran out a pair of love games to start and concluded the rapid-fire opening set in 21 minutes with a clean forehand into the corner.

But that was where the tide turned, with Berrer finding a surprise 4-0 lead in the second set with Federer able to break back only once, in the fifth game.

The Swiss dropped the set and began looking worryingly close to his first back-to-back losses on the ATP since losing in Hamburg to Mark Philippoussis followed 11 days later at Roland Garros when he went out against Luis Horna nearly four and a half years ago.

The world number one stepped up a gear in the third, securing the 4-2 break on a Berrer double-fault. Berrer made a last stand as he saved a match point three games later before Federer fired over a service winner to close out the great escape.

Spain’s third-seeded David Ferrer was derailed for the second straight week in a tournament opening round as his qualification for the Masters Cup remained illusive after losing to Argentine Agustin Calleri 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

Results (x denotes seeding):

First round: Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) bt Robby Ginepri (US) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; Roko Karanusic (CRO) bt Julian Reister (GER) 6-0, 6-3; Agustin Calleri (ARG) bt David Ferrer (ESP x3) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3); Stefan Koubek (AUT) bt Juan Chela (ARG x7) 6-3, 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA x8) bt Frank Dancevic (CAN) 6-3, 6-1; Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Michael Berrer (GER) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; Fernando Gonzalez (CHI x2) bt Jerome Haehnel (FRA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4; Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 6-3, 6-2.

BECKER DOWNS CLEMENT

LYON (France): Benjamin Becker of Germany had 19 aces in defeating Arnaud Clement of France 7-6 (0), 7-6 (3) in the first round of the Lyon Grand Prix on Tuesday.

Becker will play another Frenchman, Marc Gicquel, in the second round.

In other matches, sixth-seeded Argentinian Juan Monaco beat Frenchman Sebastien de Chaunac 6-7 (11), 6-3, 7-6 (3). Monaco next plays countryman Diego Hartfield, who ousted Nicolas Mahut of France 7-6 (8), 6-4.

Alejandro Falla of Colombia defeated Russia’s Igor Andreev 7-6 (2), 6-1. He will face Austria’s Oliver Marach, a 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) winner over Italy’s Andrea Seppi.

Also, Thierry Ascione of France beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-3, 7-6 (3) and eighth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon overcame Romanian Andrei Pavel 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.

Simon will take on countryman Julien Benneteau, and Ascione has a match against fifth-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic, who beat American Sam Querrey, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7).

Results:

Thierry Ascione (FRA) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 6-3, 7-6(3); 5-Ivan Ljubicic (CRO x5)) bt Sam Querrey (US) 7-6(5), 7-6(7) Benjamin Becker (GER) bt Arnaud Clement (FRA) 7-6(0), 7-6(3); Oliver Marach (AUT) bt Andreas Seppi (Italy) 7-6(7), 7-6(5); Gilles Simon (FRA x8) bt Andrei Pavel (ROM) 6-2, 2-6, 6-1; Diego Hartfield (ARG) bt Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 7-6(8), 6-4; Juan Monaco (ARG x6) bt Sebastien De Chaunac (FRA); 6-7(11), 6-3, 7-6(3); Alejandro Falla (COL) bt Igor Andreev (RUS) 7-6(2), 6-1.

SCHIAVONE FACES

CHAKVETADZE

LINZ (Austria): Italy’s Francesca Schiavone booked a second-round clash against top seed Anna Chakvetadze at the Linz Open on Tuesday.

She fought off a set point before prevailing 7-6, 6-3 over Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik and now faces the top-ranked Russian for a place in the quarter-finals.

Chakvetadze, 20, was confirmed by the WTA as the latest to join the eight-player field for the season-ending Championships in Madrid, alongside Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams.

Second-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia will play Argentina’s Gisela Dulko, who defeated Bosnian qualifier Sandra Martinovic 6-3, 6-3.

Results:

First round: Karin Knapp (ITA) bt Michaella Krajicek (NED) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4); Alicia Molik (AUS) bt Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; Francesca Schiavone (ITA) bt Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) 7-6 (6), 6-3; Gisela Dulko (ARG) bt Sandra Martinovic (BIH) 6-3, 6-3; Julia Vakulenko (UKR) bt Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 7-5, 6-7(0), 6-4; Ai Sugiyama (JPN) bt Sybille Bammer (AUT x8) 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-0; Patty Schnyder (SUI) bt Aravane Rezai (FRA) 6-4, 6-3.

MURRAY MOVES ON

ST PETERSBURG: Second-seeded Andy Murray beat Max Mirnyi 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday to advance to the second round at the St. Petersburg Open.

The 16th-ranked Murray broke Mirnyi twice in each set to win in 52 minutes.

Earlier, defending champion Mario Ancic defeated Nicolas Lapentti 6-4, 6-1.

Results:

First round: Marin Cilic (CRO) bt Michail Elgin (RUS) 6-3, 6-4; Mario Ancic (CRO) bt Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 6-4, 6-1; Simone Bolelli (ITA) bt Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) 7-6 (10/8), 6-2; Andy Murray (GBR x2) bat Max Mirnyi (BLR) 6-2, 6-2; Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) bt Pavel Chekhov (RUS) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4; Potito Starace (ITA x4) bt Kristof Vliegen (BEL) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3); Mikhail Ledovskikh (RUS) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (RUS) 7-5, 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x3) bt Justin Gimelstob (US) 6-2, 6-4; Nicolas Massu (CHI) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.—Agencies