ROTTERDAM (Netherlands), Feb 21: Top seed Rafael Nadal of Spain registered a comfortable 6-4, 6-4 victory over Russian Dmitry Tursunov in the first round of the World Indoor Tournament on Wednesday.

Spain’s world number two played a solid match against the Russian hard-hitter and took the first set in 36 minutes after breaking his opponent’s serve in the ninth game.

In the second set an early break proved sufficient for Nadal, who did not allow the world number 33 a single break opportunity.

Earlier, Britain’s Andy Murray and Australian Lleyton Hewitt were knocked out in their first-round matches.

World number 10 Murray lost to Dutch wild card Robin Haase 7-5, 6-3, while Hewitt, the winner here in 2004 and ranked 19th in the world, went down to Italy’s Andreas Seppi.

The Italian fought back from a set down to win 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 and set up a second-round meeting with Nadal.

Former world number one Hewitt dominated the first set from the baseline against Seppi but failed to finish the job and struggled in both tiebreaks which he lost 7-4.

Croat Ivan Ljubicic lost 6-3, 6-3 to fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych. Spaniard Fernando Verdasco brushed aside Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 6-2 and will face Swede Robin Soderling in the second round.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Second round: Gilles Simon (France) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4); Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) bt Nicolas Mahut (France) 6-2, 7-6 (9-7).First round: 1-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 6-4, 6-4; 5-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) bt Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 6-3, 6-

3; Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 3-6, 7-

6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4); Robin Haase (Netherlands) bt 6-Andy Murray (Britain) 7-5, 6-3; Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 6-2, 6-2.

IVANOVIC MAY NOT SURVIVE

DOHA: Ana Ivanovic, the top seed in a tier one tournament for the first time, may not survive to play her second match after hurting her left ankle in Wednesday’s 6-3, 6-1 win over Olga Govortsova in the 2.5-million dollar Qatar Open.

The Australian Open runner-up from Serbia appeared to be coping with a minor sandstorm and the ambitions of the 19-year-old Belarussian until the final game, when, at 30-15, she suddenly slipped as she tried to turn near the baseline.

It was clear at once that the injury was significant as Ivanovic sat down behind the baseline with a hand covering her face which was contorted with discomfort.

She remained there for three minutes, much of the time in tears, as she was inspected by the physio, before being helped by the tour supervisor and the physio to hobble to the bench at the side of the court.

Ivanovic then had five minutes’ further diagnosis and treatment, which involved plenty of tape around the ankle.

Govortsova recovered to lead 40-30 before Ivanovic tried three heavy gambler’s strikes and saw them all come off, though she limped as she changed sides between rallies.

There was a mishap of another kind when the fifth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze, the winner of the Paris Indoor Open last week, was beaten 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 by Li Na who has just returned to the tour after six months away.

Wednesday’s results:

Second round: 3-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (Russia) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; 6-Venus Williams (US) bt Karin Knapp (Italy) 6-2, 6-3; Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) bt 14-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 7-6 (9-7), 7-5; 4-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Galina Voskoboeva (Russia) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) bt Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 2-6, 7-5, 6-1; 12-Shahar Peer (Israel) bt Virginie Razzano (France) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3); 16-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt Tathiana Garbin (Italy) 6-3, 6-3; Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) bt 9-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 6-3, 6-4; 15-Sybille Bammer (Austria) bt Monica Niculescu (Romania) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4; 1-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 6-3, 6-1; 2-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt Nathalie Dechy (France) 7-5, 7-5; 11-Dinara Safina (Russia) bt Yan Zi (China) 6-2, 6-1; Li Na (China) bt 5-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4; Ai Sugiyama (Japan) bt Ayumi Morita (Japan) 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

RODDICK FACES NISHIKORI

SAN JOSE (California): Top seed Andy Roddick fought off Australian Chris Guccione 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 at the San Jose Open on Wednesday, setting up a second-round tie with Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori.

Nishikori beat Diego Hartfield of Argentina 7-5, 6-3 while third seed Tommy Haas also scored a first round win over Robert Kendrick 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

In second-round matches, fourth seed Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic overcame American Bobby Reynolds 7-5, 7-6. Robby Ginepri of the US beat eighth seed Kristof Vliegen of Belgium 6-2, 6-3.

Results:

Second round: Robby Ginepri (US) bt 8-Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) 6-2, 6-3; 4-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt Bobby Reynolds (US) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).First round: 3-Tommy Haas (Germany) bt Robert Kendrick (US) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; 1-Andy Roddick (US) bt Chris Guccione (Australia) 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-5); Kei Nishikori (Japan) bt Diego Hartfield (Argentina) 7-5, 6-3.—Agencies