Malisse sets up Youzhny clash
CHENNAI, Jan 3: Russian No 2 Mikhail Youzhny overcame early season rust to beat unseeded Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 and reach the ATP Chennai Open third round on Wednesday.
Defending champion Xavier Malisse of Belgium continued his impressive comeback from a long injury layoff, upstaging Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-6, 6-2 to set up a third round clash with the Russian fourth seed.
Former Spanish world No 1 Carlos Moya, twice a winner in Chennai, also went through after quelling an unexpected late challenge from Russian qualifier Alexandre Kudryavtsev. The third seed won 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.
Second-round results on Wednesday: 3-Carlos Moya (Spain) bt Alexandre Kudryavtsev (Russia) 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2; Xavier Malisse (Belgium) bt 6-Juergen Melzer (Austria) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2; Florent Serra (France) bt Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3); 4-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.
CONTRASTING WINS
DOHA: Top seed Nikolay Davydenko and third seed Andy Murray reached the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open in contrasting style on Wednesday.
Davydenko knocked out France’s Fabrice Santoro with a regulation 6-3, 6-3 scoreline to set up an all-Russian clash against Dmitry Tursunov.
Murray won a topsy-turvy match against former champion Rainer Schuettler of Germany 1-6, 6-0, 6-1.
In other quarter-finals, defending champion and fourth seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia will meet sixth seed German
Philipp Kohlschreiber while Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka will take on Argentine Augustin Calleri.
Second-round results: 1-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) bt Fabrice Santoro (France) 6-3, 6-3; Agustin Calleri (Argentina) bt Lee Hyung-taik (South Korea) 6-3, 6-1; 3-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 1-6, 6-0, 6-1; Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Christophe Rochus (Belgium) 6-2, 7-5; 8-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) – walkover; Thomas Johansson (Sweden) bt Michael Berrer (Germany) 6-3, 7-5; 6-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) bt Filippo Volandri (Italy) 6-4, 6-1; 4-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) — walkover.—Reuters