CHENNAI, India. — Spanish world No. 2 Rafael
Nadal overcame late resistance to reach the Chennai Open second
round on Tuesday, but second-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis
made an early exit.
Top seed Nadal defeated Mathieu Montcourt
6-2, 6-4 after the tenacious French baseliner broke his serve
and engaged him in long rallies in the final stages.
Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open finalist,
went down 3-6, 4-6 to unseeded Dutchman Robin Haase, leaving his
preparations for the year’s first grand slam in tatters.
Eighth seed Marc Gicquel of France also lost,
going down 7-6, 6-4 to Kristof Vliegen of Belgium.
However, third seed Carlos Moya of Spain, a
former world No. 1 and French Open champion seeking his third
victory in Chennai, scored a 6-4, 6-1 win over unseeded Russian
Teimuraz Gabashvili.
Fifth seed Nicolas Mahut of France defeated
Denis Gre-melmayr of Germany 6-3, 6-3.
Montcourt, 22, featuring in the main draw of
an ATP event only for the sixth time, grew in confidence in the
final stages against triple French Open champion Nadal, who lost
in the doubles first round on Monday.
"In the end I had to play better to finish
the match," Nadal said. "He fought a lot and I made some
mistakes."
He next faces qualifier Rajeev Ram, an
American player of Indian origin, who defeated Russian Yuri
Schukin 7-6, 7-6.
Baghdatis failed to find his rhythm against
Haase, who used his height advantage, a stunning forehand and
drop shot to great effect.
The 22-year-old Cypriot produced a last-gasp
effort by saving five match points in the marathon final game
before losing.
"I don’t know what to say," said a dejected
Baghdatis, who was using the event as preparation for the
Australian Open, the year’s first grand slam event, which starts
in Melbourne on Jan 14.
"I tried things that didn’t work. He was
serving very well. He had nothing to lose and he was confident."
Haase, 20, said: "He is a great player but it also gives you
the chance to play great. Today, I didn’t play the game he
likes. He wasn’t at his best and I took advantage."
