BARCELONA, Spain -- Tommy Robredo and David Nalbandian
advanced to the third round of the Open Seat Godo on Tuesday, and
former champions Marat Safin and Gaston Gaudio were eliminated in
first-round matches.
Third-seeded Robredo beat fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-2,
6-2 with five service breaks and 33 first-serve winners. Robredo
next faces 15th-seeded Agustin Calleri of Argentina.
"I was nervous about playing at home but I'm happy with the
match," said Robredo, the 2004 champion and runner-up last year to
Rafael Nadal.
"It's great to be back at No. 5 [in the ATP rankings] -- let's
see how long it lasts. I'm not in top physical shape but my
technique and mental approach are all right."
Fourth-seeded Nalbandian routed Alberto Martin of Spain 6-2,
6-0, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time this season.
Safin and Gaudio both lost in straight sets.
Safin, the 2000 champion, was surprised by Italian Simone
Bolelli 6-4, 7-6 (5). Gaudio lost in 43 minutes to Robin Soderling
of Sweden 6-1, 6-0.
Kristof Vliegen of Belgium defeated Davide Sanguinetti of Italy
6-2, 6-4 and will next try to end the 67-match winning streak on
clay of two-time defending champion Nadal.
Carlos Moya, another past winner and No. 1, beat Marcel
Granollers-Pujol of Spain 6-2, 6-4 and set up a second-round match
with 1999 champ Felix Mantilla.
Guillermo Canas of Argentina, following his run to the final at
Key Biscayne, opened his European clay court season with a 6-2, 7-6
(4) win over Max Mirnyi of Belarus.
Spain's Nicolas Almagro beat Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-2 and lined up
another Italian, Filippo Volandri.