Hewitt Pulls from ATP Hamburg, Henin Wins Two at WTA Berlin

Other seeded winners Wednesday were (3) Gaston Gaudio (d. Volandri), (4) Tim Henman (d. Massu), (5) Rafael Nadal (d. (Q) Hanescu 1-and-1), (6) Andre Agassi (d. a nervous (Q) Gasquet in straights), (9) Guillermo Coria (d. Kiefer 1-and-1), (11) Guillermo Canas (d. (Q) Monaco 0-and-0), (12) Ivan Ljubicic (d. Grosjean in three), and (15) Radek Stepanek (d. Chela in three).

"I wouldn't say clay is my best surface, but it's definitely one of my most enjoyable," said Henman after downing the dirtballer Massu, fancying the red stuff over -- get ready for sacrilege -- the grass. "In all honesty, what's disappointing about Wimbledon is how much I really don't enjoy playing on grass now because it's changed so much over the last three or four years."

Two seeds bit it at the Foro Italico Wednesday in (2) Marat Safin (l. to (Q) Almagro) and (16) Thomas Johansson (l. to Ferrer).

Safin mumbling to himself throughout the match, unable to impose his game on the young Spaniard.

"Today I just couldn't hurt him at all," Safin said of the 19-year-old riser. "I was running from side to side and I didn't have any chance to beat him -- that's what bothered me. He played solidly, nothing spectacular, it was just me. I couldn't play my game."

Other un-seeds advancing were Spaniards Fernando Verdasco (d. (Q) Wawrinka) and lucky loser Al Martin (d. (WC) Starace in three), Slovak Dominik Hrbaty (d. (Q) Benneteau, bagel in the second), Peru's Luis Horna (d. (WC) Seppi from a set down), and Italian wildcard David Sanguinetti (d. Santoro).

On tap for Thursday in Rome shooting for quarterfinal berths are (9) Guillermo "El Mago" Coria vs. (WC) Sanguinetti, (12) Ljubicic vs. (6) Agassi in a first-round Davis Cup re-run (first meeting on clay), (1) Roddick vs. Fernando "Hot Sauce" Verdasco who won their last meeting months back in Miami, (5) Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal vs. (11) Canas (Nadal won their only career meeting earlier this year at Acapulco), (LL) A.Martin vs. Luis "Me So" Horna, (4) Tim-"bledon" Henman vs. Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty (first meeting on clay), (15) Stepanek vs. (Q) Almagro, and in the grinder of the day, Ferrer vs. (3) Gaudio (Gaudio leads career meetings 4-0, all on clay).

Henin Wins Two, Myskina Ousted at WTA Berlin

They weren't necessarily pretty, but No. 12 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne posted two wins on Wednesday to advance to the third round at the WTA stop in Berlin.

In a match originally scheduled for Tuesday but postponed due to rain, Henin-Hardenne muddled through in three sets against Iveta Benesova, overcoming the Czech's at-times brilliant mix of drop shots, lobs and net rushes to eventually triumph 7-5, 4-6, 6-1. Later in the day the Belgian's fitness was tested in a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Russian Maria Kirilenko.

"It gives me confidence to see that I could play six sets," Henin-Hardenne said. "I am happy the day is done."

Russian Anastasia Myskina's rankings meltdown continued this week in Berlin, with the reigning French Open champ hitting another low in a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 loss to German wildcard Julia Schruff.

Myskina, whose choking ways reached a peak last year at the Athens Olympics, fought not only Schruff but approximately 4,000 screaming Germans before falling to an 8-9 win-loss record on the year. Insisting on playing with a damaged rotator cuff and avoiding surgery, don't look for the confidence-challenged Russian in a tournament final anytime soon.

"I'm so upset -- I hope I feel better tomorrow," said a testy Myskina after the match, snapping at reporters. "What am I doing wrong? Ask my coach."

The 107th-ranked Schruff said 'Thanks for the gift.'

"I was shocked at how fast it went," Schruff said. "I knew she was beatable because she hasn't got the results -- but I'm surprised I'm the one that beat her."

Another Russian upset victim was (10) Elena Likhovtseva, steamrolled 6-2, 6-2 by the resurgent Mary Pierce.

Top-seeded Maria Sharapova, who can attain the No. 1 ranking with a title in Berlin, began her quest with a straight-set win over German Anna-Lena Groenefeld.

"It was a good starting performance," Sharapova said. "It would be pretty amazing to be No. 1 but I am not putting any additional pressure on myself."

Other seeded players through Wednesday were (2) Amelie Mauresmo (d. Smashnova), (4) Svetlana Kuznetsova (d. Maleeva), (7) Patty Schnyder (d. Medina Garrigues), (8) Elena Bovina (d. Daniilidou), (11) Kim Clijsters (d. Safina), and (13) Jelena Jankovic (d. Pennetta 7-6 in the third).

Other un-seeds into the third round were Conchita Martinez (d. Dulko), American Meghann Shaughnessy (d. Randriantefy), and Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano (d. Craybas in three).

Scheduled for Thursday in Berlin are Clijsters vs. Schnyder, Sharapova vs. Peng, Jankovic vs. Schruff, Razzano vs. Mauresmo, Kuznetsova vs. Martinez in an all-slam-winner match-up, Petrova vs. Pierce, Bovina vs. Shaughnessy, and Henin-Hardenne vs. Peschke.

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