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CINCINNATI, Aug 4: World number one Roger Federer lost for the first time in 24 matches when he was beaten by Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday.
Had he won, the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, who beat Andy Roddick to win the Toronto Masters on Sunday, would have equalled the 24-match winning streak set by Pete Sampras in 1999.
It was Federer's first defeat since losing in the third round of the French Open at the end of May and came only two days after he repeated his Wimbledon final victory over world number two Roddick with a spectacular performance in Toronto.
The 21st ranked Hrbaty took his chances well, both in the tiebreak and while serving out for the match without fuss, but the impression persisted that the real winner here was Federer's schedule.
The early exit will allow him more preparation time for the Olympic Games in Athens starting on Aug 13. Defending Cincinnati champion Roddick, who is in action against Belarussian Max Mirnyi later, now takes over as favourite to win the tournament again.
TUESDAY'S RESULTS (PREFIX NUMBER DENOTES SEEDING):
FIRST ROUND: 2-Andy Roddick (US) beat Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6), 6-3; Robin Soderling (Sweden) beat 12-Sebastien Grosjean (France) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; 7-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Arnaud Clement (France) 6-4, 6-4; Nicolas Kiefer (Germnay) beat Joachim Johansson (Sweden) 6-3, 7-6 (9-7); Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) beat Michael Llorda (France) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1); Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) beat Irakli Labadze (Georgia) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1; Fabrice Santoro (France) beat Robby Ginepri (US) 6-2, 7-6 (7-6); Luis Horna (Peru) beat Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3); Hicham Arazi (Morocco) beat Vincent Spadea (US) 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 5-3 - retired; Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) beat 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) 1-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4; Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat 13-Nicolas Masu (Chile) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Thomas Johansson (Sweden) beat Gregory Carraz (France) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3); Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Taylor Dent (US) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; Jeff Morrison (US) beat Juergen Melzer (Austria) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2; Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat Todd Reid (Australia) 6-4, 6-4; 5-Tim Henman (Britain) beat Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco) 6-1, 6-0.
SEEDS PREVAIL
MONTREAL: Former champion and second seed Amelie Mauresmo struggled past a defiant Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in her second round match at the $1.3 million Montreal Cup WTA tennis tournament on Tuesday.
The Frenchwoman won this event in 2002 and appeared much more focused in the final set to move on to the third round. All of the other seeded players were successful on a rainy day's play, including fifth-seeded American Jennifer Capriati, who downed Alina Jidkova of Russia 7-6, 7-5 in an afternoon match that was delayed for two hours and 25 minutes in the second set.
Capriati will now face Montreal-born 17th-seeded Mary Pierce of France, who easily dispatched Nicole Pratt of Australia 6-1, 6-1 in just 55 minutes.
TUESDAY'S RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND: Bethanie Mattek (US) beat Angelique Widjaja (Indonesia) 6-7 (7-2), 6-3, 6-4; 10-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Akiko Morigami (Japan) 6-1, 6-3; 14-Elena Bovina (Russia) beat Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) 6-1, 6-3; 15-Chanda Rubin (US) beat Antonia Matic (Germany) 6-4, 6-3; Mashona Washington (US) beat Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4; Lilia Osterloh (US) beat Jill Craybas (US) 0-6, 6-3, 6-1; Jelena Jankovic (Serbia & Montenegro) beat Saori Obata (Japan) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4; Nathalie Dechy (France) beat Laura Granville (US) 6-3, 6-2; Arantxa Parra Santoja (Spain) beat Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4; Gisela Dulko (Argentina) beat Lindsay Lee-Waters (US) 6-3, 7-5; Martina Sucha (Slovakia) beat Rossana Neffa-De Los Rios (Paraguay) 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-2; Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) beat Maria Vento-Kabchi (Venezuela) 0-6, 6-3, 6-2; Kritina Brandi (Puerto Rico) beat Rita Grande (Italy) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0.
SECOND ROUND: 2-Amelie Mauresmo (France) beat Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2; 5-Jennifer Capriati (US) beat Alina Jidkova (Russia) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5; 7-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4; 12-Karolina Sprem (Croatia) beat Shinobu Asagoe (Japan) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1; 17-Mary Pierce (France) beat Nicole Pratt (Australia) 6-1, 6-1. -Reuters
