Puerta, Seeds Struggle Through at ATP Ho Chi Minh

The Top 3 seeds in Mariano Puerta (d. (Q) Soeda in three), (2) Thomas Johansson (d. Popp from a set down), and (3) Radek Stepanek (d. H.-T. Lee, navigating a first-set tiebreak) all struggled into the second round Wednesday at the inaugural ATP stop in Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnam Open.

"I'm happy. I'm in the fight for Shanghai (Masters Cup)," Puerta said. "I feel very good, but very tired. He played very very good. He was much better than me in the second set."

No. 6 seed Juan Monaco (d. Tuksar) was a straight-set winner, while No. 4 Kenneth Carlsen was dismissed in straights by Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman. Monaco then found himself in the quarterfinals when Yen-Hsun Lu retired from his next-round match with an ankle injury.

Other unseeded winners were Germans Rainer Schuettler (d. countryman Greul 6-1 in the third) and Alexander Waske (d. Sluiter in three tiebreaks, saving two match points), and Czech Jiri Vanek (d. (WC) P.Amritraj in three).

Scheduled for Thursday at the Vietnam Open are Bjorkman vs. (Q) Mamiit, (Q) Vico vs. (3) Stepanek, Phau vs. (2) T.Johansson, (1) Puerta vs. Arthurs, (5) Saulnier vs. Vanek, Waske vs. (7) Burgsmuller, and Schuettler vs. Moodie.