The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Andy Murray gets past Gael Monfils

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Andy Murray gets past Gael Monfils

HAMBURG: Andy Murray breezed past Gael Monfils, beating him 6-4, 6-1 in a battle between teenagers in the opening round of the Hamburg Masters on Tuesday.

Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty eliminated Florian Mayer of Germany 6-4, 6-2, and Max Mirnyi of Belarus overcame Peru's Luis Horna 7-6(5), 7-5.

Murray coped well with a fierce wind that picked up in the second set as Monfils struggled.

``I think I played one of my best clay court matches,'' said Murray, who is still without a coach after splitting with Mark Petchey in April.

Murray is Britain's only remaining hope at the tournament after Greg Rusedski lost 6-1, 6-1 to French qualifier Gilles Simon.

``It was a combination of my not playing well and his playing very well,'' said Rusedski, Britain's top-ranked player at 40th in the world. ``I couldn't do anything to hurt him. It would have been a tough match even if I had been playing at my best.''

The young Scotsman won his first ATP Tour title in February — taking the SAP Open final in San Jose, California, with a win over Lleyton Hewitt — and reached the quarterfinals in Memphis a week later. But he has struggled with his form since and has been plagued by nagging injuries.

``I'm very disappointed in myself,'' said Monfils, ranked 17 places higher than Murray at 29th. ``Not so much about my game but with my attitude. I didn't play my game. It had little to do with him. I am just stupid sometimes.'' Murray next meets fifth-seeded James Blake.

Safin crashes out

Marat Safin, twice a runner-up in Hamburg, lost to Brazilian qualifier Flavio Saretta 5-7, 6-0, 6-4, and another former Australian Open champ Thomas Johansson was beaten by Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-3, 6-4 on Monday.

The results (all first round): At Hamburg (The ATP Hamburg Masters): Andrew Murray bt Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-1; Dominik Hrbaty bt Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-2; Max Mirnyi bt Luis Horna 7-6(5), 7-5; Juan Monaco bt Xavier Malisse 6-3, 2-0 (retired); Fernando Gonzalez bt Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-3; Andreas Seppi bt Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-1; Nikolay Davydenko bt Nicolas Massu 6-3, 6-4; Gilles Simon bt Greg Rusedski 6-1, 6-1; Nicolas Kiefer bt Jurgen Melzer 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; Radek Stepanek bt Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 3-1 (retired); Ivan Ljubicic bt Phillip Kohlschreiber 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-3; Bjorn Phau bt Fabrice Santoro 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; Flavio Saretta bt Marat Safin 5-7, 6-0, 6-4.

At Rome (WTA Italian Open): Shuai Peng bt Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-3, 3-0 (retired); Anabel Medina Garrigues bt Jill Craybas 7-5, 6-4; Flavia Pennetta bt Katerina Bondarenko 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; Anna-Lena Groenefeld bt Virginie Razzano 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; Vera Zvonareva bt Shahar Peer 1-6, 6-2, 6-0.

At Rabat (WTA Rabat Open): Ivana Lisjak bt Anastassia Rodionova 6-2, 6-1; Melinda Czink bt Arantxa Parra Santonja 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2; Martina Sucha bt Vania King 7-5, 6-2; Hana Sromova bt Jamea Jackson 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(5).

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