Paes gives Indians in Australia a reason to cheer

Paes gives Indians in Australia a reason to cheer
AGENCIES

MELBOURNE, JANUARY 17: India's World No 1 doubles player Leander Paes, who had to qualify for the singles main draw, cleared the first hurdle when he beat Australian wildcard Dejan Petrovic in the 1st round of the Australian Open here on Monday.

The Indian ace won 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 and now plays Sweden's Andreas Vinciguerra in the second round. Vinciguerra defeated Argentinian Hernan Gumy 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 6-1 earlier in the day.

Last year's finalist Thomas Enqvist crashed out in a five-set first round dogfight with local man Richard Fromberg. The sixth-seeded Enqvist was the biggest casualty on the opening day of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. He was joined on the early plane home by 14th seeded Karol Kucera of the Slovak Republic, who was dumped from the first major tournament of the 21st century by Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Enqvist, who lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in last year's final, toiled for three hours 44 minutes before succumbing to Fromberg 6-4, 7-6(7-4), 4-6, 3-6, 10-8.

World No 1 Andre Agassi and Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport swept through their opening matches. Top-seeded Agassi, last year's French and US Open champion, beat Mariano Puerta (Argentina) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.

The way he played suggests he will have little opposition until his scheduled match-up with former World No 1 Pete Sampras, returning to Australia after giving the tournament a miss last year, in the semifinals.

Sampras was the last man to beat Agassi -- in the ATP Tour World Championship final in Hanover last November.

Davenport blasted aside Sarah Pitkowski (France) 6-3, 6-1 and admitted the new courts worked in her favour.

``It's going to take a little while to get used to. But fast courts are to my advantage... I think it will help my game a lot here,'' she said.

How the seeds fared
(Seedings in prefix)

Men singles (1st round): 1-Andre Agassi (US) bt Mariano Puerta (Arg) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3; 3-Pete Sampras (US) bt Wayne Arthurs (Aus) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4;Richard Fromberg (Aus) bt 6-Thomas Enqvist (Swe) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 3-6, 10-8; 8-Todd Martin (US) bt Byron Black (Zimbabwe) 5-7, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2, 8-6; 9-Richard Krajicek (Ned) bt Fabrice Santoro (Fra) 6-1, 6-2, 7-5; 11-Tim Henman (GB) bt Jerome Golmard (Fra) 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (9-7); Paradorn Srichaphan (Tha) bt 14-Karol Kucera (Slovakia) 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; 16-Mark Philippoussis (Aus) bt Noam Okum (Isr) 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.

Women's singles (1st round): 2-Lindsay Davenport (US) bt Sarah Pitkowski (Fra) 6-3, 6-1; 4-Mary Pierce (Fra) bt Linda Wild (US) 7-5, 6-3; 5-Nathalie Tauziat (Fra) bt Henrieta Nagyova (Slovakia) 6-1, 2-6, 6-1; 7-Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt Cristina Torrens Valero (Spain) 6-1, 6-2; 9-Julie Halard-Decugis (Fra) bt Lina Krasnoroutskaya (Rus) 6-2, 6-4; 11-Anna Kournikova (Russia) bt Patricia Wartusch (Aut) 6-0, 6-0; 14-Dominique Van Roost (Bel) bt Kim Clijsters (Bel) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1; Kristie Boogert (Ned) bt 15-Anke Huber (Ger) 6-4, 6-4.

Other first roundresults

Men singles: Leander Paes (Ind) bt Dejan Petrovic (Aus) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; Mikael Tillstrom (Swe) bt Sebastien Lareau (Can) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1; Nicolas Escude (Fra) bt Jim Courier (US) 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-5, 6-1; Todd Woodbridge (Aus) bt Jan Siemerink (Ned) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3; Fernando Vicente (Spa) bt Alberto Berasetegui (Spa) 6-0, 6-2, 6-2; Andrew Ilie (Aus) bt Jeff Tarango (US) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-3; Sjeng Schalken (Ned) bt Galo Blanco (Spa) 7-6 (10-8), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Jiri Novak (Cze) bt Marcus Hipfl (Aut) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2; Mark Woodforde (Aus) bt Davide Sanguinetti (Ita) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Marc Rosset (Swi) bt Jamie Delgado (GB) 7-6 (7-0), 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); Chris Woodruff (US) bt Martin Damm (Cze) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; Wayne Black (Zim) bt Jean-Michael Gambill (US) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 6-4; Franco Squillari (Arg) bt Joseph Sirianni (Aus) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1; Michael Hill (Aus) bt Bernd Karbacher (Ger) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; Rainer Schuttler (Ger) bt Juan Antonio Marin (Crc) 6-3,6-3, 6-3;Fredrik Jonsson (Swe) bt Jacobo Diaz (Spa) 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3; Mariano Zabaleta (Arg) bt Felix Mantilla (Spa) 6-1, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); Sebastien Grosjean (Fra) bt Goichi Motomura (Jpn) 6-3, 6-3, 6-2; Hicham Arazi (Mar) bt Julian Alonso (Spa) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2; Raemon Sluiter (Ned) bt Andrea Gaudenzi (Ita) 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 13-11; Slava Dosedel (Cze) bt Julien Boutter (Fra) 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5; James Sekulov (Aus) bt Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-0; Andreas Vinciguerra bt Hernan Gumy (Arg) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 6-1; Axel Pretzsch (Ger) bt Alex O'Brien (US) 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, 6-1.

Women singles: Jennifer Capriati (US) bt Barbara Schwartz (Aut) 6-1, 7-6 (7-1); Ai Sugiyama (Jap) bt Magdalena Maleeva (Bul) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4); Cara Black (Zim) bt Lenka Nemeckova (Cze) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Rita Kuti Kis (Hun) bt Jelena Dokic (Aus) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3; Patty Schnyder (Swi) bt Lilia Osterloh (US) 6-3, 6-4; Natasha Zvereva (Belarussia) bt Brie Rippner (US) 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-2; Marissa Irvin (US)bt Corina Morariu (US) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3; Nadejda Petrova (Rus) bt Anne-Gaelle Sidot (Fra) 6-4, 6-2; Angeles Montolio (Spa) bt Rachael McQuillan (Aus) 6-4, 6-3; Kveta Hrdlickova (Cze) bt Virginia Ruano-Pascual (Spa) 6-2, 6-1; Adriana Gersi (Cze) bt Seda Noorlander (Ned) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3; Sonya Jeyaseelan (Can) bt Amanda Hopmans (Ned) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; Amelie Cocheteux (Fra) bt Barbara Rittner (Ger) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4; Fabiola Zuluaga (Col) bt Nathalie Dechy (Fra) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1; Julie Pullin (GB) bt Jane Chi (US) 6-1, 6-3; Sandra Nacuk (Yug) bt Janet Lee (US) 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5; Marlene Weingartner (Ger) bt Anne Kremer (Lux) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; Yi Jing-Qian (Chn) bt Laurence Courtois (Bel) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2; Emilie Loit (Fra) bt Evie Dominikovic (Aus) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2; Miriam Premans (Ned) bt Anca Barna (Ger) 6-2, 6-2; Elena Dementieva (Rus) bt Paola Suarez (Arg) 6-0, 3-6, 8-6.