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TOKYO, Sept 30: Rainer Schuettler was the model of German efficiency as he trounced Satoshi Iwabuchi 6-0 6-4 in the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday.
Australian Open runner-up Schuettler, trying to clinch a place in the season-ending Masters Cup for the first time, completed an easy win over the Japanese wildcard with a whipped forehand down the line after just 53 minutes on court.
Fellow German Nicolas Kiefer also reached the last 16 with a hard-fought 7-5 7-6 victory over American Alex Bogomolov.
Meanwhile, Ashley Harkleroad made a superb start in the women’s tournament as the 18-year-old American demolished Japanese wildcard Maika Ozaki 6-0 6-0 in blustery conditions.
Russian 16-year-old Maria Sharapova, a quarterfinalist in Shanghai last week, was equally impressive.
The fifth seed pummelled South Korean Kim Jin-hee 6-2 6-0 behind a flurry of baseline winners.
Results
Men’s First Round: Goichi Motomura (JPN) bt Martin Vassallo Arguello (ITA) 6-0, 6-3; Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Robin Soderling (SWE) 6-4, 6-4; Cyril Saulnier (FRA) bt Justin Gimelstob (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-1; Takao Suzuki (JPN) bt Alexander Waske (GER) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3; Robert Kendrick (USA) bt Wayne Arthurs (AUS) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4; Federico Browne (ARG) bt Terachi Takahiro (JPN) 6-3, 6-4.
Second Round: Rainer Schuettler (GER) bt Satoshi Iwabuchi (JPN) 6-0, 6-4; Lee Hyung-Taik (KOR) bt Fernando Verdasco (SPA) 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4; Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) bt Bohdan Ulihrach (CZE) 6-3, 6-4; Dennis van Scheppingen (NED) bt Gregory Carraz (FRA) 7-5, 1-6, 7-5; Michel Kratochvil (SWI) bt John van Lottum (NED) 6-2, 6-3; Nicolas Kiefer (GER) bt Alex Bogomolov Jr (USA) 7-5, 7-6 (9/7); Mario Ancic (CRO) bt Tasuku Iwami (JPN) 6-2, 7-5.
Women’s First Round: Shinobu Asagoe (JPN) bt Li Ting (CHN) 6-1, 6-1; Ashley Harkleroad (USA) bt Maika Ozaki (JPN) 6-0, 6-0; Yuka Yoshida (JPN) bt Angelique Widjaja (INA) 6-4, 7-5; Aniko Karpos (HUN) bt Sun Tiantian (CHN) 6-4, 6-2; Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt Kim Jin-Hee (KOR) 6-2, 6-0; Akiko Morigami (JPN) bt Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 6-1, 6-2; Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) bt Evie Dominikovic (AUS) 6-3, 6-3; Yan Zi (CHN) bt Miho Saeki (JPN) 6-2, 6-4; Jill Craybas (USA) bt Saori Obata (JPN) 6-4, 6-2; Zheng Jie (CHN) bt Silvija Talaja (CRO) 6-4, 7-5; Emmanuelle Gagliardi (SWI) bt Abigail Spears (USA) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
Kremlin Cup results
MOSCOW: Results from the second day of the 2.3-million-dollar Kremlin Cup on Tuesday:
Men’s First Round: Sargis Sargsian (ARM) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 6-1, 6-2; Agustin Calleri (ARG x2) bt Denis Golovanov (RUS) 6-2, 6-2; Marc Rosset (SWI) bt David Prinosil (GER) 6-1, 6-1; Stefan Koubek (AUT) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-0; Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) bt Tomas Zib (CZE) 6-2, 6-4; Tuomas Ketola (FIN) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5
Women: Dinara Safina (RUS) bt Magdalena Maleeva (BUL) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5; Alexandra Stevenson (USA) bt Jelena Dokic (SEM) 6-3, 6-1; Francesca Schiavone (ITA) bt Lina Krasnorutskaya (RUS) 2-6, 6-0, 6-4—Reuters/AFP
