Hingis Wins in Opener, Dokic Debut Delayed

Italian Davide Sanguinetti saved four match points to oust No. 6 seed Olivier Rochus 7-6 in the third, and was joined in the second round by fellow un-seeds Mikhail Youzhny of Russia (d. Bjorkman from a set down), Cyprus' Marcos Baghdatis (d. (WC) Khalfan), and South African Weslie Moodie (d. Mirnyi 7-6 in the third).

In doubles the Rochus brothers, Olivier and Christophe, saved three match points in a 16-14 tiebreak win over No. 4 seeds (4) Cermak/Friedl, and Russians Andreev/Davydenko saved four match points in a 15-13 tiebreak win over Pavel/Youzhny.

On court Tuesday are C.Rochus vs. (2) Davydenko, (WC) El Aynaoui vs. (4) Grosjean, (1) Federer vs. (WC) Minar, Santoro vs. (Q) Marach, Pavel vs. Vik, (Q) Tipsarevic vs. Tursunov, Volandri vs. (Q) Mahut, and (5) Andreev vs. (Q) Starace.

Ancic Strong in Opener at ATP Adelaide

Coming off his recent Davis Cup title for Croatia and eying a first-time spot in the Top 10 for 2006, Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic was in brutal form Monday, dispatching of French veteran Arnaud Clement 6-0, 6-2 at the ATP stop in Adelaide.

"It was not his best day," Ancic said. "He was missing more than the last two times we played and he gave me a lot of opportunities to play my game. I was aggressive, a lot of times finishing the point at the net."

Other unseeded winners were Belgian Xavier Malisse who saved five set points (d. (WC) Luczak), and German Philipp Kohlschreiber (d. (WC) Chris "Penthouse" Guccione).

Seeded winners on the day were (3) Tommy Robredo (d. Melzer), and (6) Tomas Berdych (d. Calleri in three).

The final round of qualifying was also completed with Llodra (FRA), Lorenzi (ITA), Carraz (FRA), and Junaid (AUS) into the main draw.

On court Tuesday in Adelaide are (WC) Philippoussis vs. Spadea, A.Martin vs. (5) Blake, (Q) Lorenzi vs. Murray, (1) Hewitt vs. Hernych, (Q) Junaid vs. (2) Hrbaty, Mayer vs. Monaco, (8) Chela vs. Karlovic, (7) Nieminen vs. Mathieu, (Q) Carraz vs. Carlsen, Pashanski vs. Seppi, and Serra vs. (Q) Llodra.

Amritraj Into 2nd Round at ATP Chennai

Homecountry wildcard Prakash Amritraj gave the Indian singles scene a glimmer of hope Monday by advancing into the second round with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback win over Brazil's Ricardo Mello at the ATP stop in Chennai.

"I injured my right wrist, but overcoming it meant a lot to me as there's always been a big question mark on my fitness," said Amritraj, who received care from the trainer after falling on court.

Seeded winners Monday were (7) Bjorn Phau (d. Reynolds, bagel in the second), and Germany's (8) Tomas Behrend (d. Daniel).

Three unseeded players advanced into the second round with straight-set wins in Czech Jiri Vanek (d. (WC) Uppal), Belgian Kristof Vliegen (d. Y.Wang), and France's Thierry Ascione (d. Greul).

The final round of qualifying was also completed with Gicquel (FRA), Berrer (GER), Navarro Pastor (ESP), and Bopanna (IND) into the main draw.

Tuesday's scheduled matches in Chennai are (4) Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan vs. Delgado, D.Norman vs. (3) Moya, (1) Ljubicic vs. Guillermo "G-Lo" Garcia-Lopez, (Q) Navarro Pastor vs. (2) Stepanek, Vicente vs. (6) Schuettler, (Q) Bopanna vs. Saulnier, H.-T. Lee vs. (Q) Gicquel, Dlouhy vs. (Q) Berrer, Sabau vs. (5) Muller, and Gimelstob vs. Waske.

Hingis Successful in Comeback Debut at WTA Gold Coast

Former No. 1 Martina Hingis was nervous from the start in her first match after a three-year absence from the WTA Tour, but you couldn't tell it from the score with the Swiss pasting former practice partner Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela 6-2, 6-1.

"I was a little nervous," said Hingis, who dropped her opening service game but rated her performance highly after the match. "Under the circumstances in the heat and not having played for three years, I'd say an eight (out of 10), other times even better."

Seeds advancing were defending champ (1) Patty Schnyder (d. Razzano), (2) Francesca Schiavone (d. (Q) M.Yuan), (3) Dinara Safina (d. Linetskaya, bagel in the second), (4) Flavia Pennetta (d. Bychkova), (5) Tatiana Golovin (d. (WC) Pratt), and (8) Anabel Medina Garrigues (d. Rolle).

Qualifiers Jarmila Gajdosova of the Slovak Republic (d. Garbin from a set down) and American Angela Haynes (d. Sprem from a set down) led the upsets on the day, with two other unseeded winners in Austrian Sybille Bammer (d. Bohmova) and Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives (d. (Q) T.-T.Sun from a set down).

On tap for Tuesday at the Gold Coast are N.Li vs. Pennetta, Nakamura vs. Medina Garrigues, Gajdosova vs. Safarova, and Safina vs. Benesova.

Petrova Beats Rain at WTA Auckland

Only three of 12 matches were completed Monday at the WTA Tour stop in Auckland due to rain, with winners (1) Nadia Petrova (d. Diaz-Oliva), (5) Katarina Srebotnik (d. Daniilidou in three), and Belarus wildcard Victoria Azarenka (d. Frazier in three).

"I had so many unforced errors and I couldn't get my first serve going especially with this wind," said Petrova, who will next face the winner of Vera Dushevina and qualifier Anne Kremer. "It's been hard to adjust because it hasn't been a constant wind. It's been on and off all the time. It wears you out mentally."

Matches postponed in the midst were Vera Zvonareva leading Paola Suarez 6-2, 4-2, Kristina Brandi leading Catalina Castano 4-3, and Yoon Jeong Cho leading Shahar Peer 7-6(0), 2-0.

Scheduled for Tuesday's full slate are Schruff vs. Dokic, Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva vs. Suarez (to finish), Beygelzimer vs. Hantuchova, Blahotova vs. Kirilenko, Likhovtseva vs. Morigami, Anne "Kosmo" Kremer vs. Dushevina, Loit vs. Bartoli, Castano vs. Brandi (to finish), Sanchez Lorenzo vs. Asagoe, Perry vs. Granville, Cho vs. Peer (to finish), Ashley "Anna 2.0" Harkleroad vs. Craybas, and Jamea "Action" Jackson vs. Obziler.

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Rainer Schuettler is hoping for a healthy 2006 after last year being sidelined by knee surgery then a wrist injury: "I was not happy about my year-end ranking of 78, the worst of my career. I've prepared hard for the Chennai Open with a gruelling month-long training session in Dubai. My immediate priority is to break into the Top 50."...Roger Federer has been named "Champion of Champions" for 2005 by the French sports daily L'Equipe. The world No. 1 received 676 points in a vote by L'Equipe journalists placing him ahead of second place Valentino Rosso the world motorcycle champion from Italy who received 387 points...Roger Federer on Martina Hingis' return: "I was very happy when I heard she was coming back. I was hoping that one day she would take the courage to do it, and she did it, and she even won her first match which was fantastic. I think it's great for the sport and think it will do her well too, to come back and see how good she can be again because she's a great competitor and she broke all the records. I think she could do something great again."...From The Age: "[Mark] Philippoussis had not played a tournament since losing to Fernando Verdasco in the first round at St Petersburg in late October, but under another new coach -- this time, a back-to-the-future case of re-hiring his childhood coach Archie Adams -- he reportedly has been training hard in the U.S. and has trimmed several kilograms from his big frame."...Carlos Moya in Chennai on reaching No. 1 again: "That is not possible. There are many young guys out there...Federer, Nadal. If my shoulder stays okay, I could make a fight for it but, realistically, I would be satisfied if I get into Top 10."...Linda Pearce writing for Melbourne Age on the Martina Hingis win: "Martina Hingis emerged from her three-year break looking trim in a sleek red-orange outfit, with a nervous smile and a small wave to the crowd that cheered her onto the intimate centre court at Royal Pines...When the match ended on a final [Maria] Vento-Kabchi error after just 51 minutes, Hingis could not disguise her joy, grinning as she jogged to the net and then leaving the court for a kiss and hug from her stepfather, Mario Widmer, and hitting partner Radim Valigura. There was also a congratulatory pat from fellow Swiss Patty Schnyder, the top seed. The only cautionary note is that Vento-Kabchi was, well, lamentable. If that is representative of top-60 standard, then Hingis has already well exceeded it. Next is Klara Koukalova, a top-30 fringe-dweller, and although that will give a better indication, the best test will come in a quarter-final against 13th-ranked Francesca Schiavone, the feisty Italian second seed."