STUTTGART (Germany), July 18: Defending champion Gustavo Kuerten got through the first half of a double dose of tennis here Thursday as rains finally ceased enough to allow uninterrupted play at the weather-hit 500,000-dollar ATP tournament.

After a three-day downpour in which only ten of the 16 first-round contests were completed, the weather calmed down on a day when 20 matches were scheduled.

Of the 14 singles on offer, two featured Kuerten.

The second seed finally got on court in the morning to begin his week on the clay 6-3, 6-3, over Austrian Stefan Koubek in the opening round.

The 25-year-old three-time French Open champion, was playing for the first time in more than a month after losing in the fourth round in Paris to Albert Costa, the eventual champion.

Kuerten spent the grass-court season at home in Brazil, strengthening his hip which he had an operation on in February which kept him out of action for more than two months.

The Brazilian, a two-time winner here, was later due to face German Lars Burgsmuller, one of the few men to complete a match in the previous three days.

In other first round contests Spain’s Alberto Martin knocked off German seventh seed Rainer Schuttler 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3 while Ecuador’s sixth-seeded Nicolas Lapentti beat Italian Andrea Gaudenzi in a close tussle, 7-6 (7/1), 2-6, 6-3.

Swedish qualifier Johan Settergren ousted 33-year-old Spaniard Francisco Clavet 6-4, 6-4, while Brazil’s Fernando Meligeni joined compatriot Kuerten with a win, beating Attila Savolt of Hungary 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

Russian Mikhail Youzhny, the youngest man in the field at 20, defeated Moroccan Hicham Arazi 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Scheduled second-round lineups include top seed Jiri Novak againt Meligeni, third seed Guillermo Canas facing Spain’s Felix Mantilla and Settergren taking on fourth seed Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco.

Results (x denotes seeding):

First round: Gustavo Kuerten (Bra x2) bt Stefan Koubek (Aut) 6-3, 6-3; Alberto Martin (Spa) bt Rainer Schuttler (Ger x7) 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3; Johan Settergren (Swe) bt Francisco Clavet (Spa) 6-4, 6-4; Fernando Meligeni (Bra) bt Attila Savolt (Hun) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3; Nicolas Lapentti (Ecu x6) bt Andrea Gaudenzi (Ita) 7-6 (7/1), 2-6, 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) bt Hicham Arazi (Mar) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.—AFP