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Both Tommys triumph in first round of Hamburg Masters
Hamburg (Germany), May 11: Tommy Haas, making a strong comeback after missing 15 months with a shoulder injury, advanced when Vincent Spadea retired with a thigh muscle injury after losing the first six games.
Hamburg (Germany), May 11: Tommy Haas, making a strong comeback after missing 15 months with a shoulder injury, advanced when Vincent Spadea retired with a thigh muscle injury after losing the first six games.
Third-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero withdrew on the eve of the tournament with a wrist injury. The 2.4 million (USD 2.9 million) clay-court event is the fifth of nine Masters Series tournaments, one tier below the grand slams. It is also a major tuneup for the French Open, the second grand slam of the year that starts May 24.
Mayer, 20, is having a breakthrough year on the ATP Tour. He reached his first career semifinal in Estoril, after winning the challenger title in Mexico City in March. At the start of the year, he was the only German players to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Novak cleared three rounds at the Italian Open last week but was under pressure from Mayer from the start.
On match point, Novak sent a backhand wide to fall to the 90th-ranked German. Novak is No. 15 on the ATP entry ranking list, used to determine seedings.
Haas went through two shoulder operations and missed the entire last year. His first match in the comeback was against Spadea, in February at the indoors event in San Jose and Haas, the former No. 2 in the world, lost in two sets.
He rolled through the first six games, before Spadea called the trainer and then decided to pull out. Haas won the Houston event last month, his fifth tournament back on the tour.
Another seeded player went out when Olivier Rochus defeated No. 11 Paradorn Srichaphan 6-3, 6-4. But Srichaphan is not a force on clay.
No. 16 Tommy Robredo rolled past Antony Dupuis 6-2, 6-0. The first day of the weeklong event was played in cool weather and under cloudy skies, with occasional light rain.
Bureau Report
Third-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero withdrew on the eve of the tournament with a wrist injury. The 2.4 million (USD 2.9 million) clay-court event is the fifth of nine Masters Series tournaments, one tier below the grand slams. It is also a major tuneup for the French Open, the second grand slam of the year that starts May 24.
Mayer, 20, is having a breakthrough year on the ATP Tour. He reached his first career semifinal in Estoril, after winning the challenger title in Mexico City in March. At the start of the year, he was the only German players to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Novak cleared three rounds at the Italian Open last week but was under pressure from Mayer from the start.
On match point, Novak sent a backhand wide to fall to the 90th-ranked German. Novak is No. 15 on the ATP entry ranking list, used to determine seedings.
Haas went through two shoulder operations and missed the entire last year. His first match in the comeback was against Spadea, in February at the indoors event in San Jose and Haas, the former No. 2 in the world, lost in two sets.
He rolled through the first six games, before Spadea called the trainer and then decided to pull out. Haas won the Houston event last month, his fifth tournament back on the tour.
Another seeded player went out when Olivier Rochus defeated No. 11 Paradorn Srichaphan 6-3, 6-4. But Srichaphan is not a force on clay.
No. 16 Tommy Robredo rolled past Antony Dupuis 6-2, 6-0. The first day of the weeklong event was played in cool weather and under cloudy skies, with occasional light rain.
Bureau Report