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CINCINNATI (Ohio), Aug 7: Pete Sampras had to hit his way out of trouble to come away with a three-set win against Guillermo Canas in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters Tuesday.
Sampras went a set and a break down against the Argentinean before turning the match around for a 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 win.
Canas, who won his first Masters Series title in Toronto last week, served for the match at 6-5 in the second set but Sampras broke back then clung on a tense tiebreaker.
Having missed his chance, Canas’s challenge faded in the decider and Sampras, roared on by his home crowd, took full advantage to book a second round berth .
Earlier, Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt was in merciless form in his first round match at the $2.95 million event, beating hapless American wildcard Robby Ginepri 6-0, 6-0.
Andy Roddick also scored a quick-fire win. Roddick, who appeared in his first Masters Series final in Toronto on Sunday, took little more than an hour to ease past Michel Kratochvil of Switzerland 6-3, 6-3.
Briton Tim Henman also sent former world number one Gustavo Kuerten packing in their first round match, beating the defending champion 6-3, 6-4 in just an hour and 17 minutes.
Meanwhile, former US Open finalist Mark Philippoussis, who had to qualify for the event because he wasn’t ranked high enough to gain direct entry, beat Fabrice Santoro 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.
TUESDAY’S RESULTS (PREFIX NUMBER DENOTES SEEDING):
FIRST ROUND: 15-Pete Sampras (US) beat Guillermo Canas (Argentina) 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; Mark Philippoussis (Australia) beat Fabrice Santoro (France) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3; Richard Krajicek (Netherlands) beat 13-Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) 6-4, 6-4; 8-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Ramon Delgado (Paraguay) 7-6 (7-1), 6-1; Taylor Dent (US) beat 9-Thomas Johansson (Sweden) 6-4, 6-3; 16-Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Cyril Saulnier (France) 6-3, 6-3; Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) beat 14-David Nalbandian (Argentina) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; 12-Andy Roddick (US) beat Michel Kratochvil (Switzerland) 6-3, 6-3; 1-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Robby Ginepri (US) 6-0, 6-0; Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) beat 11-Sebastien Grosjean (France) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Wayne Arthurs (Australia) beat Noam Okun (Israel) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); Marcelo Rios (Chile) beat Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) 6-3, 6-2; Fernando Vicente (Spain) beat Jeff Morrison (US) 6-4, 6-1; 4-Tim Henman (Britain) beat Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) 6-3, 6-4; Michael Chang (US) beat 3-Tommy Haas (Germany) 6-3, 6-2.
SCARE FOR DAVENPORT
MANHATTEN BEACH: Defending champion Lindsay Davenport survived a three-set scare, defeating Russian teenager Elena Bovina 6-2, 6-7 (3-7),
6-3 to advance to the third round of the Los Angeles Open Tuesday.
Looking tired and rusty from a knee injury that kept her off the court for eight months, the 26-year-old American outlasted the tall, slender Bovina in the two-hour, eight-minute match in front of 1,300 spectators at the Manhattan Beach Country Club.
Katarina Srebotnik registered the first upset with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory over fifth seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium.
American Jennifer Capriati, the second seed, breezed through her first match, defeating Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland 6-1, 6-2.
TUESDAY’S RESULTS:
SECOND ROUND: 16-Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) beat Amy Frazier (US) 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1; 3-Lindsay Davenport (US) beat Elena Bovina (Russia) 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3; 2-Jennifer Capriati (US) beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Switzerland) 6-1, 6-2; Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) beat 5-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
FIRST ROUND: Ai Sugiyama (Japan) beat Henrieta Nagyova (Slovakia) 6-4, 6-3; Janette Husarova (Slovakia) beat Magui Serna (Spain) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
—Reuters/AFP
