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DELRAY BEACH (Florida), Feb 12: Second seed Tommy Haas and defending champion Xavier Malisse suffered surprise first round exits at the Delray Beach International on Monday.
Haas, playing his first game in over three months, lost 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to Argentine Diego Hartfield, who had never won a match in an ATP hardcourt event.
Last year’s winner Malisse, who also won the event in 2005, fell to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 loss to American Bobby Reynolds.
American Robby Ginepri took the first step in his bid to climb back up the rankings with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Frenchman Mathieu Montcourt.
Ginepri, a US Open semi-finalist in 2005, has slumped from 15th in the world to 169th in the past three years.
Top seed and tournament favourite James Blake opens his campaign for an 11th ATP title against American compatriot Robert Kendrick on Tuesday.
Monday’s results:
First round: Bobby Reynolds (US) bt Xavier Malisse (Belgium) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Diego Hartfield (Argentina) bt 2-Tommy Haas (Germany) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; Paul Capdeville (Chile) bt Clint Bowles (US) 6-2, 6-4; Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) bt Wayne Odesnik (US) 6-4, 6-2; Ivan Navarro (Spain) bt Florent Serra (France) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Robby Ginepri (US) bt Mathieu Montcourt (France) 6-3, 6-0
LI CRUISES AHEAD
ANTWERP: China’s Li Na continued her storming 2008 comeback after a six-month injury absence, crushing Russian Elena Likhovtseva 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the WTA Diamond Games on Monday.
But Belgian Yanina Wickmayer ambushed Peng Shuai, eliminating the Chinese player 6-0, 6-4 and won into a match with third seed Daniela Hantuchova.
There was no luck for fifth seed Sybille Bammer, knocked out by unheralded Russian Yaroslava Shvedova 6-0, 3-6, 6-2.
World number one Justine Henin heads the field as she plays the home event for only the third time in Flemish-speaking Antwerp, Europe’s diamond-dealing capital.
Monday’s results:
First round: Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) bt Peng Shuai (China) 6-0, 6-4; 9-Li Na (China) bt Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 6-1, 6-1; Karin Knapp (Italy) bt Nathalie Dechy (France) 7-6, 6-4; Yaroslava Shvedova (Russia) bt 5-Sybille Bammer (Austria) 6-0, 3-6, 6-2.—Agencies
