The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Fish escapes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Fish escapes

RALEIGH (NORTH CAROLINA), FEB. 15. American Davis Cupper Mardy Fish needed a third-set tiebreaker to overcome compatriot James Blake in the opening round of the Morgan Keegan Championship in Memphis.

The sixth-seeded Fish rallied from a poor second set and saved a match point before prevailing 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(7).

Eighth-seeded Belarussian Max Mirnyi also struggled, staving off three match-points before edging American Brian Baker 7-6(1), 6-7(1), 7-6(9) in a two-hour, 38-minute match.

In the women's draw, two seeds fell on the opening day as Japan's Akiko Morigami eliminated fourth-seeded Martina Sucha of Slovakia 6-4, 7-5 and Abigail Spears ousted fellow American and No. 5 seed Mashona Washington 6-3, 7-5.

Two ranked players did advance, however, with seventh-seeded Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic beating American Lindsay Lee-Waters 6-2, 6-3 and eighth-seeded Evgenia Linetskaya of Russia easing past Edina Gallovitis of Romania 6-4, 6-3.

Gaudio withdraws

Gaston Gaudio, who would have been top-seeded at the Brasil Open in Costa del Sauipe, withdrew from the tournament with a thigh injury. The Roland Garros champion was coming off a win at Buenos Aires last week.

Meanwhile, third-seeded Argentine Juan Ignatio Chela advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Germany's Lars Burgsmuller.

Spain's Albert Costa, a former champion at Roland Garros, too got past the first hurdle, when compatriot Oscar Hernandez withdrew with the score at 7-6(2), 4-6, 4-4.

Federer looking ahead

Top seed Roger Federer will be looking to grab one of the few titles to have eluded his grasp when he begins his campaign against Czech qualifier Bohdan Ulihrach later in the week.

The Swiss master will be looking to get back to winning ways when he plays his first match since a shock semifinal defeat by Marat Safin at last month's Australian Open.

The results: Men: At Memphis (Regions Morgan Keegan Championships): First round: Kevin Kim bt Scoville Jenkins 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(4); Kenneth Carlsen bt Gregory Carraz 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(0); Max Mirnyi bt Brian Baker 7-6(1), 6-7(1), 7-6(9); Antony Dupuis bt Jeff Morrison 7-6(7), 7-6(5); Frank Dancevic bt Yen-hsun Lu 6-2, 6-4.

At Rotterdam (ABN-AMRO World Tennis Tournament): First round: Tomas Berdych bt Robin Soderling 7-5, 6-3; Paradorn Srichaphan bt Igor Andreev 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-5; Guillermo Coria bt Raemon Sluiter 6-2, 6-4; Thomas Johansson bt Karol Beck 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; Juan Carlos Ferrero bt Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-2; Nikolay Davydenko bt Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

At Costa del Sauipe (Brasil Open): First round: Juan Ignacio Chela bt Lars Burgsmuller 6-4, 6-0; Paul-Henri Mathieu bt David Sanchez 6-4, 6-0; Santiago Ventura bt Nicolas Almagro 4-6, 6-4, 6-1; Albert Costa bt Oscar Hernandez 7-6(2), 4-6, 4-4 (retired); Agustin Calleri bt Potito Starace 6-1, 6-1.

Women: At Antwerp (The Proximus Diamond Games): First round: Patty Schnyder bt Denisa Chladkova 6-3, 7-5; Magdalena Maleeva bt Tathiana Garbin 6-4, 6-4.

At Memphis: The Cellular South Cup: First round: Evgenia Linetskaya bt Edina Gallovits 6-4, 6-3; Severine Beltrame bt Lilia Osterloh 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Kristina Brandi bt Jennifer Hopkins 6-3, 6-0; Angela Haynes bt Marissa Irvin 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5; Hana Sromova bt Jill Craybas 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; Abigail Spears bt Mashona Washington 6-3, 7-5; Nicole Vaidisova bt Lindsay Lee-Waters 6-2, 6-3; Akiko Morigami bt Martina Sucha 6-4, 7-5; Sisel Karatancheva bt Seda Noorlander 7-5, 6-3; Katerina Bondarenko bt Alina Jidkova 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; Jamea Jackson bt Amy Frazier 7-6(4), 0-6, 6-3.

At Bogota (Copa Colsanitas Seguros Bolivar): First round: Clarisa Fernandez bt Paula Garcia 7-6(3), 6-2; Emmanuelle Gagliardi bt Tina Pisnik 6-3, 6-4; Conchita Martinez-Granados bt Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-2; Maria Sanchez Lorenzo bt Lioudmila Skavronskaia 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; Mariana Diaz-Oliva bt Melissa Torres Sandoval 6-2, 6-3.

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