ESTORIL (Portugal), April 16: Roger Federer made a solid start to his clay-court season, relying on the counsel of provisional coach Jose Higueras to advance into the second round of the Estoril Open on Tuesday.

The Swiss top seed, seeking his first title of a slow-starting season, overcame gritty Belgian opponent Olivier Rochus, Belgium, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Second seed and former champion Nikolay Davydenko was untroubled after arriving from a Davis Cup win in Moscow, dispatching Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-1 to ease into the second round.

Davydenko won the 2003 title, played the final two years ago but has also exited three times in the first round at the Estadio Nacional.

In women’s play, top-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta defeated Yvonne Meusburger 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 while No 2 Maria Kirilenko faced a battle before stopping Swiss teenager Sandra Vogele 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1.

Tuesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles: First round: 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Jiri Vanek (Czech Republic) bt Philipp Petzschner (Germany) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; 2-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Juergen Melzer (Austria) 6-3, 6-1; Rui Machado (Portugal) bt 3-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 6-4, 1-0 – Karlovic retired; 8-Michael Berrer (Germany) bt Gastao Elias (Portugal) 6-4, 7-5; Florent Serra (France) bt Gianluca Naso (Italy) 6-1, 6-2; Victor Hanescu (Romania) bt Olivier Patience (France) 6-1, 7-6 (7-2); Thierry Ascione (France) bt Alexandre Kudryavtsev (Russia) 6-1, 6-4; Joao Sousa (Portugal) bt Oliver Marach (Austria) 6-1, 6-3.

Women’s singles: First round: Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) bt 4-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 7-5, 6-4; Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) bt Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 6-2, 6-2; 2-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) bt Stefanie Vogele (Switzerland) 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1; Corinna Dentoni (Italy) bt Rossana De Los Rios (Paraguay) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3; 5-Tathiana Garbin (Italy) bt Yulia Beygelzimer (Ukraine) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5; Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) bt Neuza Silva (Portugal) 6-0, 6-2; Maret Ani (Estonia) bt Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) 7-5, 6-2; 1-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) bt Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) 4-6, 6-0, 6-2; Mariana Duque (Colombia) bt Monica Niculescu (Romania) 6-4, 6-3; Sanda Mamic (Croatia) bt Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) 2-6, 6-0, 6-4; Olga Savchuk (Ukraine) bt Sandra Kloesel (Germany) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; 8-Camille Pin (France) bt Angelique Kerber (Germany) 7-6 (8-6).

SEED UPSET

CHARLESTON (South Carolina): Romanian teenager Sorana Cirstea upset third seed and world No 6 Anna Chakvetadze 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 in the second round of the Family Circle Cup on Tuesday.

It was the first WTA Tour victory over a top 10 player for the 18-year-old, who won a three-set match against American Vania King on Monday and is ranked 86th in the world.

Results:

Second round: 5-Serena Williams (US) bt Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 6-3, 6-4; 6-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1; 10-Agnes Szavay (Hungary) bt Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4; Sorana Cirstea (Romania) bt 3-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 6-2, 1-6, 6-2; 8-Dinara Safina (Russia) bt Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) 6-1, 6-4.

First round: Tatiana Perebiynis (Ukraine) bt 14-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5; Anastasia Rodionova (Russia) bt 15-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 6-4, 1-0 – Cibulkova retired; Edina Gallovits (Romania) bt Meghann Shaughnessy (US) 6-3, 3-0 – Shaughnessy retired; Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) bt Olga Poutchkova (Russia) 4-6, 7-5, 6-0; Alize Cornet (France) bt 16-Michaella Krajicek (Netherlands) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Aravane Rezai (France) bt Milagros Sequera (Venezuela) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5; Bethanie Mattek (US) bt Yuan Meng (China) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Olga Govortsova (Belarus) bt Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-3, 6-2; Jill Craybas (US) bt Varvara Lepchenko (US) 6-2, 6-2; 13-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 6-1, 6-0.

HAAS STUNNED

HOUSTON (Texas): Second-seeded German Tommy Haas was upset 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 by Russian Igor Kunitsyn in the opening round of the US Clay Court Championships on Tuesday.

Haas lost in two hours 48 minutes.

The 26-year-old Kunitsyn, ranked 111th in the world, will next meet Argentina’s Sergio Roitman who beat big-serving American John Isner 3-6, 7-6, 6-3.

Results:

First-round: Igor Kunitsyn (Russia) bt 2-Tommy Haas (Germany) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; 3-Mardy Fish (US) bt Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; 5-Agustin Calleri (Argentina) bt Vince Spadea (US) 6-4, 6-3; 7-Marcel Granollers-Pujol (Spain) bt Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) 6-2, 6-0; Sergio Roitman (Argentina) bt John Isner (US) 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.—Agencies