Estoril Open 2004 News and Events

Victor Hanescu
© João Lagos Sports

Marat Safin recovered from the loss of the first set to defeat Cyril Saulnier and move through to the second round of the Estoril Open, but top seed Rainer Schuettler suffered a three-set loss at the hands of Victor Hanescu to remain win-less at the Estadio Nacional.

Meanwhile, last year's finalist Agustin Calleri, the No. 3 seed, also went out after going down 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(3) to Jiri Vanek.

Schuettler, who has now lost his opening match at seven of the eight tournaments he has played so far this year, eventually went down 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-3 to the Romanian in 2 hours, 43 minutes.

"I came here from Davis Cup on indoor hard court, so I had one hour of practice on clay and that was what was wrong today," said Schuettler. "I didn't take my chances. I was serving for the first set and led in the tie-break, so it was pretty close. I hadn't practiced on clay but I still shouldn't have lost that game. I'm working hard and I'll player better soon."

Hanescu, who recorded his first win over a Top 10 player (1-4) and reached the semifinals in Scottsdale (l. to Kiefer) last month, will now meet Olivier Rochus in the second round.

"I feel very happy," said Hanescu. "It was a big win for me, so it's a great moment. This is my best win. It was a tough match and finally I won after the third set. It's given me a lot of confidence for my next match against Rochus. I hope to play well and win.

"Rainer is one of the best players in the world. He hasn't played so well at the beginning of the year but still he's a good player."

Confidence

Safin, the No. 8 seed, who reached the quarterfinals at the Estadio Nacional on his last appearance in 2002, eventually found his game to defeat Saulnier 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. The Russian, who is playing in his first clay court tournament of the season, made the perfect start to lead 2-1 with a break only to see Saulnier immediately get back on serve in the following game. In the 12th game, Safin's fourth double fault cost him dearly as the Frenchman broke to take the first set, but the former World No. 1 changed things around in the second and third sets to wrap up victory in 2 hours, 3 minutes.

"Every tennis player wants to win the first match," said Safin. "I felt very good today. It was a little bit difficult at the beginning, but then I got used to the balls and got my rhythm. It was a very important win for me. It was a difficult match but this was a big step forward for me. It gives me a lot of confidence and it feels great to get through."

Safin, who has now won 14 of his last 16 matches against French opponents, meets another in the second round in Thierry Ascione, who defeated Antony Dupuis on Monday. Safin, who currently stands in fifth position in the INDESIT ATP 2004 Race just eight points behind Carlos Moya at the start of the tournament, is now 9-6 in 2004.

Portuguese Stars

In an eagerly awaited battle of the rising Portuguese stars, 19-year-old Diogo Rocha came out on top against fellow wild card Leonardo Tavares. With both players attempting to record their first career wins on the ATP circuit, Rocha eventually won 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in 2 hours, 22 minutes to book his place against Juan Ignacio Chela, who won the all-Argentine clash with Guillermo Canas 6-3, 6-4.

Fourth seed Tommy Robredo of Spain advanced to the second round when Xavier Malisse retired after losing the first set 6-0 and will now meet Mariano Zabaleta, while 20-year-old German qualifier Florian Mayer upset No. 7 seed Gaston Gaudio in straight sets.

Mayer, who qualified for the Australian Open earlier this year and reached the second round, captured the Challenger title in Mexico City last month and has now won 10 of his last 11 matches (including qualifying).