October 26, 2007	Friday	Shawwal 13, 1428

BASEL (Switzerland), Oct 25: American fourth seed James Blake kept on course for a place at the season-ending Masters Cup on Wednesday with a straightforward win in the opening round of the Swiss Indoors.

The world number seven saw off Spain’s Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 6-4 to set up a second-round encounter with towering Croatian Ivo Karlovic.

Lying tenth in the race for the Masters Cup’s eight qualifying spots, Blake will climb into joint eighth place this week if he makes it to at least the semi-finals in Basel.

The American number two would then have to stay ahead of his remaining rivals at next week’s Masters Series tournament in Paris to guarantee himself a place at the prestigious and lucrative finale in Shanghai.

The players currently holding eighth and ninth spot, Germany’s Tommy Haas and Spain’s Tommy Robredo, are both unable to pick up any points this week.

Haas made a late withdrawal from the Lyon Grand Prix after suffering a stomach complaint while Robredo went out in the opening round of the same tournament.

Blake, who broke Hernandez twice on Wednesday without ever facing break point himself, is projected to face Federer in the semi-finals.

The world number one, who is playing in his home city, has beaten Blake in all seven of their previous meetings, including last year’s Masters Cup final.

Federer has dropped only one set in those seven encounters — and even that came after a tiebreak.

Fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych and sixth seed Guillermo Canas also progressed to the second round in Basel on Wednesday.

Berdych beat Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, while Canas defeated fellow Argentine Jose Acasuso 6-4, 6-3.

Results (x denotes seeding):

First round: Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Albert Montanes (ESP) 6-2, 6-2; Nicolas Kiefer (GER) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-1, 6-1; Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) bt David Nalbandian (ARG) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2; Guillermo Canas (ARG x6) bt Jose Acasuso (ARG) 6-4, 6-3; Andrey Golubev (RUS) bt Amer Delic (US) 6-4, 6-3; Tomas Berdych (CZE x5) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-3; Juan del Potro (ARG) bt Michael Russell (US) 5-2, retired; James Blake (US x4) bt Oscar Hernandez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4.

RODDICK FALLS

LYON (France): Top seed Andy Roddick slumped to a 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 defeat by Frenchman Fabrice Santoro in the first round of the Lyon Grand Prix on Wednesday.

The American, though, has already qualified for next month’s season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.

Frenchman Richard Gasquet boosted his bid to qualify for the Masters Cup with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Belgian Christophe Rochus.

Fourth seed Gasquet, who won the Lyon title last year, blasted Rochus off the court with 23 aces.

Gasquet is 11th in the ATP Race standings, eight points behind eighth-placed German Tommy Haas who holds the last qualifying spot for the Masters Cup. Next week’s Masters Series event in Paris will be the last chance for Shanghai hopefuls.

Marc Gicquel of France, beaten by Gasquet in last year’s final, beat German Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-3 in a second-round match.

Results:

First round: Fabrice Santoro (FRA) bt Andy Roddick (US x1) 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 6-4; Olivier Rochus (BEL) bt Mickael Llodra (FRA) 7-6 (8/6), 6-2; Richard Gasquet (FRA x4) bt Christophe Rochus (BEL) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3; Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) bt Rodolphe Cadart (FRA) 6-3, 6-2.

Second round: Marc Gicquel (FRA) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-3, 6-3; Diego Hartfield (ARG) bt Juan Monaco (ARG x6) 6-4, 6-3.

CHAKVETADZE IN TOP GEAR

LINZ (Austria): Top seed Anna Chakvetadze reached the quarter-finals of the Linz Open with a crushing 6-0, 6-2 victory over Italy’s Francesca Schiavone on Wednesday.

French teenager Tatiana Golovin limped out of her match with Greek Eleni Daniilidou after trailing by a set.

She had looked weary in the first set against her hard-hitting opponent, and had to save a break point to hold for 1-0 in the second.

Then, leading 40-0 on Daniilidou’s serve in the next game, Golovin slipped as she approached the net and requested medical attention for her ankle.

After playing the next four points Golovin required more treatment, this time to her right knee, and then retired. The injury brought to an end a run that since the US Open had seen her reach the finals of Stuttgart and Zurich, winning 15 of 18 matches.

Fourth seed Dinara Safina eased by Italian qualifier Karin Knapp 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals, but fifth seed Nicole Vaidisova struggled to beat recent Bangkok champion Flavia Pennetta of Italy, edging through 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 in a first-round battle.

Results:

First round: Nicole Vaidisova (CZE x5) bt Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4); Tamira Paszek (AUT) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 6-3, 7-5; Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) bt Tatiana Golovin (FRA x7) 6-4, 0-1 – retired.

Second round: Anna Tchakvetadse (RUS x1) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-0, 6-2; Dinara Safina (RUS x4) bt Karin Knapp (ITA) 6-2, 6-2.

EASY WIN FOR DAVYDENKO

ST PETERSBURG: Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko beat Filippo Volandri 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the second round at the St. Petersburg Open on Wednesday.

Davydenko, who withdrew from the Madrid Masters last week because of a right elbow injury, broke the 44th-ranked Italian two times in the first set.

Volandri broke the Russian to trail 3-1 in the second set before losing three straight games.

The fourth-ranked Davydenko qualified for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai next month by winning the Kremlin Cup two weeks ago.

Fifth-seeded Dmitry Tursunov of Russia also advanced, rallying to beat Boris Pashanski of Serbia 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Results:

First round: Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x1) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 6-1, 6-1; Fernando Verdasco (ESP x6) bt Werner Eschauer (AUT) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1

Second round: Dmitry Tursunov (RUS x5) bt Boris Pashanski (SRB) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x7) bt Denis Matsukevitch (RUS) 6-1, 6-1; Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt Nicolas Massu (CHI) 6-1, 6-2. —Agencies