Madrid, Oct 16: American Robby Ginepri, better known for his British actress girlfriend Minnie Driver than for his game, began changing that perception as he knocked off fourth seed Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 6-4.
It may not have been Schuettler at his best after winning back-to-back titles in Tokyo and Lyon, but that hardly mattered to the 21-year-old challenger, who finished up the job in 57 minutes.
France's Sebastien Grosjean, the sixth seed, was untroubled by Spain's David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2 as the pair met for the first time.
American Mardy Fish followed up on his first-round defeat of Briton Tim Henman as he ousted Spain's 14th seed Tommy Robredo 7-6 (16/14), 6-2.
That match was played in two parts, with the American squeezing out a marathon first-set tiebreaker in front of a totally pro-Spanish crowd before taking the momentum to quickly finish the job in the second set.



Fish was pleased to get through in hostile conditions. "The crowd was as tough as Davis Cup in Croatia. I love the atmosphere of me against everyone. It's something I enjoy and I thrive on."



Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero was facing Wayne Ferreira later while Wimbledon champion Roger Federer was taking on Spanish veteran Alex Corretja.


Bureau Report