Clijsters Makes Winning Return; Nalbandian, Gonzo Upset
Posted on February 16, 2005
Nalbandian, F-Lo Upset at ATP RotterdamDavid Nalbandian and Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez's hopes of crafting their indoor games came crashing down in the first round at the ATP stop in Rotterdam Monday with the Argentine and Spaniard respectively ousted by unseeded opponents.
Nalbandian was defeated in three sets by Czech Radek Stepanek, while F-Lo was outscrambled by diminutive qualifier Olivier "The Roach" Rochus of Belgium.
"To beat a Top 10 guy is always nice," said Stepanek, who dropped 21 aces on the Argentine. "I'm playing well indoors for the past couple of months. I hope I can keep my form all season. I was working very hard in the off-season and I think it's paying off."
Nalbandian blamed the loss on difficulties seeing the yellow balls against a green advertising backdrop.
No. 3 seed Tim Henman was the lone seeded winner on the day, defeating Nicolas Kiefer in straight sets.
Other un-seeds into the second round were France's Michael Llodra (d. (WC) Peter "Nuclear" Wessels, coming from a set down), and Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic (d. Dent).
On the schedule for second-round play Wednesday are (5) Joachim "The Jackhammer" Johansson vs. (Q) Wang, Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan vs. (2) Coria, Pavel vs. (WC) Schalken, (1) Federer vs. (Q) Ulihrach, Ferrero vs. Stepanek, Grosjean vs. (Q) Wawrinka, (7) Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty vs. Ljubicic, and Berdych vs. (6) Davydenko.
Roddick Rolls, Gambill Upsets Novak at ATP Memphis
Top-seeded Andy Roddick (d. H.-T. Lee) led the seeded advance at the ATP stop in Memphis Tuesday, joined by (3) Vince Spadea (d. Enqvist) and (5) Xavier "X-Man" Malisse (d. Kohlschreiber).
"I thought I hit the ball pretty well," Roddick said. "And I served well. The court here is a lot different so it took a little bit getting used to."
American Jan-Mike Gambill orchestrated the only seeded upset on the day, overwhelming (4) Jiri Novak 6-0, 6-4.
"I'm actually playing the kind of competitive game that got me to 14 in the world," Gambill said. "I'm doing the things I used to do to beat guys. I'm hitting the ball hard and taking my forehand and ramming it down people's throats. That's not something I was able to do the last two years."
Other un-seeds into the second round were France's Arnaud Clement (d. (Q) Sanguinetti 6-1 in the third), American Robby "Baby Courier" Ginepri (d. countryman (WC) Dailey 2-and-0), and Irakli "Freak Show" Labadze (d. Bjorkman).
On tap for Wednesday are Saulnier vs. Kendrick, Salzenstein vs. Haas, Roddick vs. Clement, and Arthurs vs. Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer.
Gonzalez Shocked by Aussie at ATP Costa do Sauipe
Australian qualifier Peter Luczak pulled the shocker on the dirt at the ATP stop in Costa do Sauipe Tuesday, ousting No. 2 seed Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez 7-5 in the third.
"Today was my biggest career win," said the mullet-sporting Luczak. "I didn't have anything to lose and I played well. Fernando Gonzalez is a tough opponent, especially here in South America because he always has the crowd cheering for him. I think today I was luckier than when I played against him in Vina del Mar two weeks ago."
Two other seeds made exits Tuesday with illness at the hands of Spain's Al Martin (d. (4) Volandri, who retired with a fever) and wildcard Alex Corretja (d. (5) Ferrer, who retired with the flu).
Seeded winners on the day were (6) Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal (d. Acasuso) and (7) Mariano Zabaleta (d. Puerta).
Un-seeds into the second round were Ricardo Mello "Yello" (d. Montanes in three), Argentine qualifiers Martin Vassallo Arguello (d. Mantilla in three) and Edgardo Massa (d. Saretta in three), Spaniards Alex Calatrava (d. (Q) Marin) and (LL) Guillermo "G-Lo" Garcia-Lopez (d. Monaco), and (WC) Andre Sa (d. (WC) Silva in an all-Brazilian).
Scheduled for Wednesday on the dirt are Ventura vs. (WC) Corretja in an all-ESP, Calatrava vs. (6) Nadal in an all-ESP, Mello vs. (Q) Vassallo Arguello, (WC) Sa vs. (Q) Luczak, (7) Zabaleta vs. (LL) Garcia-Lopez, (3) Chela vs. Calleri in an all-ARG, (8) Costa vs. (Q) Massa, and Mathieu vs. A.Martin.
Clijsters Wins in 2005 Debut WTA Antwerp
Kim Clijsters had little trouble in her 2005 debut Tuesday at the WTA stop in Antwerp, with a successful return from wrist surgery in a 6-2, 6-3 win over Jelena Kostanic.
"I was bursting to resume my competitive career but I am somewhat astonished at how well it went against a highly-rated rival like that," Clijsters said. "Physically, I felt tops so I knew I would last the match."
No. 5 Nadia Petrova (d. Anabel "Funky Cold" Medina Garrigues) was the lone seeded winner on the day, setting up a second-round meeting with Clijsters, while seeds on the losing end were No. 6 Nathalie Dechy (l. to Klara "Kouky" Koukalova) and No. 8 Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem (l. to (Q) Chakvetadze).
Un-seeds into the second round were France's Mary Pierce (d. Iveta "Stop Losing" Benesova), qualifier Camille Pin (d. Marrero) and wildcard Virginie Razzano (d. (Q) Ivanovic in three), and Slovak qualifier Katarina Srebotnik (d. Camerin in three).
Scheduled for Wednesday in second-round action are Pin vs. Schnyder, Razzano vs. Venus, Schaul vs. Callens, Petrova vs. Clijsters, and Golovin vs. Safina.
Seeds Cruise Tuesday at WTA Memphis
Seeds (1) Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva (d. Pastikova) and (3) Meghann Shaughnessy (d. American countrywoman Granville) advanced into the second round Tuesday at the WTA stop in Memphis.
"I'm still getting back," Zvonareva said of adjusting to her new time zone. "I think it's the worst jetlag I've ever had."
Joining the seeds were Yoon Jeong Cho of Korea (d. Ant. Serra Zanetti in three), Dutch wildcard Michaella "Little Sis" Krajicek (d. McCain), Japanese qualifier Yuka Yoshida (d. (Q) Bohmova in three), and American Jamea Jackson (d. Sesil "The Mouth" Karatantcheva).
"This is great -- I've always loved Memphis and I've been coming here (to visit family) all my life," said Jackson, whose win followed an upset of No. 2 seed Amy "Down Goes" Frazier. "I wasn't playing too good coming into the tournament but my confidence has really rocketed up."
Wednesday's schedule is Vaidisova vs. Brandi, Zvonareva vs. Beltrame, Morigami vs. Krajicek, Sromova vs. Shaughnessy, Spears vs. Cho, Yoshida vs. Linetskaya, and Haynes vs. Bondarenko.
Three-time Champ Zuluaga Wins at WTA Bogota
Three-time defending champion Fabiola Zuluaga (d. Pelletier 1-and-1) advanced Tuesday on the dirt at the WTA stop in Bogota, joined by seeds (2) Flavia Pennetta (d. (LL) Piedade) and (5) Barbora Strycova (d. (Q) Garcia Sokol).
Unseeded players into the second round Tuesday were Spanish qualifier Lourdes Dominguez Lino (d. countrywoman Pous Tio), Brazil's Maria Fernanda Alves (d. (7) Perebiynis), Hungarian Zsofia Gubacsi (d. Castellvi), Czech Eva Birnerova (d. Salerni), and Columbian Catalina Castano (d. (Q) Wozniak).
Wednesday's schedule in Bogota is Sanchez Lorenzo vs. Birnerova, Castano vs. Alves, Mouhtassine vs. Szavay, Czink vs. Loit, Martinez Granados vs. Gagliardi, and Cervanova vs. Kurhajcova.
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