(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Fourth seed Tomas Berdych showed no mercy to Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round of the French Open on Monday, defeating the teenager 6-0, 7-5, 6-3.
Nishioka was one of three Japanese men to lose, leaving only fifth seed Kei Nishikori still involved in the men's singles.
The left-handed Nishioka, who retired ill in the first round of last year's US Open in his only previous major appearance, did however recover from a disastrous start to put up a spirited fight against the Czech star.
Berdych required less than half an hour to win the opening set but Nishioka held his serve at the start of the second and even had a break point opportunity in the following game.
Berdych, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2010, recovered to hold his serve and eventually claimed the set after 47 minutes, Nishioka's fighting performance ultimately proving to be in vain.
Nishioka did not give up though, saving three break points at the beginning of the third set and coming back to win the game with a delightful lob from the baseline with his opponent stranded at the net.
But Berdych's class told in the end as he converted the first of two match
points in the ninth game of the set.
Berdych, 29, who will face veteran Czech compatriot Radek Stepanek in the next round, had praise for his opponent, as well as a little advice for the future.
"The second set was close. I was just trying to get my chances and just trying to figure it out, find the right rhythm and try to hit the ball as clean as possible.
"That's it. I mean, he's a very talented young guy; moving very well. But he definitely is going to need to get stronger in the sense of for his future and to be competing on the higher level."
Nishioka, meanwhile, admitted the occasion got the better of him in the early exchanges and accepted Berdych just didn't give him any chances to come back into the match.
"The first set I was very nervous, so that's why it's pretty quick, the set. But after first set I was a little bit looser," Nishioka, who moved to Florida to train when just 14, said in hesitant English.
"I had a couple chances, but he didn't give me easy points. I feel that I had chances, so, I mean, maybe if I play more the top-10 players, maybe I can get a set or I can play more close against (them)."
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