Men Tennis Update – Rotterdam, Sao Paulo, San Jose (02-13-13)

Written by: Staff on 13th February 2013

Men Tennis Update - Rotterdam, Sao Paulo, San Jose (02-13-13)

epa03580957 Juan Martin Del Potro from Argentina in action against French player Gael Monfils during their first round match of the ATP ABN AMRO tennis tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 12 February 2013. EPA/KOEN SUYK |

Rotterdam

2012 finalist Juan Del Potro began with a win, defeating Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round. The South American is hoping to take it one step further than he did a year ago when he lost the final to Roger Federer as he played the event for the first time. “He’s dangerous coming back from injury and is playing well,” the winner said of his French opponent. “I’m glad to be back in Rotterdam, though my memories are not the best on court after losing a year ago to Roger.”

Del Potro imposed himself in just over an hour with a break in the eighth game of the second set for 5-4, finishing the win a game later. The Argentine second seed next plays Latvian Ernests Gulbis who hammered Dutchman Robin Haase 6-2, 6-1 in 50 minutes. Julien Benneteau of France earned a win over Tobias Kamke 6-3, 6-2. The German got into the main draw as 2008 winner Michael Llodra withdrew before his intended match with Benneteau with illness.

Dutch players split matches. Thiemo de Bakker advanced when Russian Mikhail Youzhny had to quit with a hip injury, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 4-1 win. De Bakker will play either top seed Roger Federer or Slovenian Grega Zemlja.

Sao Paulo

Fifth seed Thomaz Bellucci earned a home victory with his defeat of Guiheme Clezar 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(1) as Rafael Nadal teamed with a new doubles partner to win an opening match. Last weekend’s double losing finalist in Chile teamed with David Nalbandian to put out Nadal’s compatriots Pablo Andujar and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 3-6, 11-9.

Nadal is keen to overcome the continuing pain in his knees which kept him off court for more than half a year as he bids for the singles honors on his ground-breaking South American swing, The forgiving clay is just what he needed for his knees, but coming away without a title might surely start the doubts about where the former No.1 still has the physical game to compete among the elite.

Elsewhere in singles, Guido Pella of Argentina beat Italian Fabio Fognini 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-1 while eighth seeded Spaniard Albert Ramos put out Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 7-5. Carlos Berlocq stopped Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia 6-3, 6-4. Italian Filippo Volandri sent another Spaniard home with his win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6) in which the winner saving a pair of match points,

San Jose

Americans lost three of four matches as the event limps through its final edition before being shifted east to Memphis in 2014. Fans of the tournament are already grieving as they complain that northern California – they consider it the “home” of tennis on the continent – will now be left without an ATP event.

Those fans who do front up for the tournament are a hardy lost, with play beginning at the ungodly hour of 9:30 a.m. due to a crowded facility which has only one mach court. Those kind of logistics make for regular post-midnight finishes.

But whatever the timing, it was lights-out for several local hopes, with a trio of young guns all put in their place in the first round. Sixth seed Denis Istomin, surely the only ATP player coached by his mother, beat Ryan Sweeting 6-3, 6-4, Aussie seventh seed Marinko Matosevic stuffed Jack Sock 7-6(5), 6-1 and Germany’s Benjamin Becker called time on Ryan Harrison 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-3. The one bright spot for the US: qualifier Tim Smyczek upset Spain’s fifth seed Fernando Verdasco, who trains with the Andre Agassi former team in Las Vegas, 6-3, 6-3.

Veteran Lleyton Hewitt resumed after his Australian Open first-round loss, overcoming Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) while Canadian Vasek Pospisil beat Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy 7-5, 6-1.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Gael Monfils, Juan Martin Del Potro, Rotterdam tennis news, San Jose tennis news, Sao Paulo tennis news, Thomaz Bellucci