(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Spaniards swept past French opposition yesterday € the opening day of the Kooyong Classic - as Feliciano Lopez and Nicolas Almagro both posted pre-Australian Open tune-up wins.
Lopez beat injured Gilles Simon 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 11-9 as the number 12 suffered with an abdominal muscle problem said to be the result of a shoulder injury in the autumn which affected his serving.
Newlywed Almagro, winner of 13 clay titles, put out Paul-Henri Mathieu after coming from 3-5 down in the first set to post a 7-5, 6-3 result. The number 74 Almagro, who has been bothered by two years of injuries, won five games during a fightback which took him to 1-0 in the second set with a break. Almagro maintained control to earn the win as he prepares for his 11th Australian Open appearance.
"I'm ready to play the Open. I'm ready to fight. I'm healthy so let's see what I can do."
The traditional pre-Open warmup which formerly brought in the world's top players, has changed course while expanding its field to 12 after several lean seasons with eight men in the draw. The emphasis is now upon quality mid-range players identifiable to true tennis fans, with the tournament director calling the 12-man tournament a "boutique event."
Hyeon Chung of South Korea won a battle of promising teenagers as he fought past Australian Open wildcard Omar Jasika 6-4, 6-3. The 19-year-old Chung, needed just 71 minutes to take the win, recovering from a first-set break and breaking twice in the second to assure his success prior to his Australian Open debut.
"It was a tough match against a lefty," the winner said. "I played some good points and was also lucky. I lost to Omar six months ago and today I got my revenge."
The 19th-ranked Lopez said he was still feeling fatigue after playing in the Abu Dhabi exhibition and Doha in recent days
"I have big jet-lag in my body right now," the 33-year-old said. "I'm looking forward to playing better on Friday in my second match. But there is no better preparation for the Open.
The courts and conditions are the same - even the wind is there. It's great be back in Australia and playing again."
Lopez said he saw his opponent was not at 100 per cent physically. "I could tell he was having some problems. It's always difficult to play against an injured opponent. You just hope that you react well."
Defending champ Vesely makes early Auckland exit
Jiri Vesely's hopes of defending his Auckland Classic title disappeared in the first round on Tuesday when he was bundled out in straight sets by eighth-seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain. On a rain-disrupted second day that saw no matches completed during the day session, Bautista Agut made up time in the evening by taking just 76 minutes to dispose of Vesely 6-3, 7-5.
Former tournament champion Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany had the worst of the rain disruptions, though he managed to turn it to his advantage.
He was trailing compatriot Benjamin Becker 0-30 in the first game when the rain sent the players off the court and they did not resume until nearly six hours later when Kohlschreiber claimed a 7-6 (10/8), 6-3 victory.
He said the long weather disruption made it a tough day.
"You eat, you wait and you try to relax as much as you can. We had a very short start on Centre Court, but for everybody it was a very long day," he said. "The start was slow, he served very well in the beginning and we didn't have long rallies, but overall, there were some very good points in the match."
Kohlschreiber, who was also a finalist in Auckland in 2013, believes the match has set him up nicely for his second-round clash against number two seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
"I have one more match under my belt and it's always good to play the big guys in the early rounds because when they build up their confidence they're very tough to beat, especially strong players with an aggressive game."
American Sam Querrey advanced to the second round when Great Britain's Aljaz Bedene retired with an injury early in the deciding third set.
Bedene had taken the first set on a 7/7 tie-break and Querrey came back to win the second set tie-break 12-10 and was up 2-1 in the third when the London-based Bedene pulled out. The four tournament drawcards-David Ferrer, who is chasing a fifth title, Tsonga, John Isner and Kevin Anderson-all had first-round byes and will make the opening appearances today.
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