VIENNA, 9 October 2003 — Second seed Carlos Moya shrugged off the loss of a tight second-set tie-break to overcome Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 in the first round of the indoor CA Trophy yesterday.

The Spaniard, chasing his fourth title of the year but his first on a surface other than clay, took control of the first set with consistently strong serving and by breaking the Chilean’s serve in the third game.

But Gonzalez, a finalist last week indoors at Metz, found his rhythm in a nail-bitingly close second set where both players refused to buckle under the other’s pressure.

In the third set at this 765,000-euro ($901,800) hardcourt event, Moya took advantage of an apparent lapse of his adversary’s concentration to break serve.

With the score at 15-40, play was interrupted after a spectator in the first row collapsed and was taken out by emergency services. Gonzalez then double-faulted and went on to lose his next service game and the match.

In other first-round action, Spanish eighth seed Albert Costa edged past Armenian Sargis Sargsian 6-4, 6-4, Max Mirnyi of Belarus beat American Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-2 and German Nicolas Kiefer overcame Austria’s Alexander Peya 7-5, 7-5.

Russians on Track

in Filderstadt

Elena Dementieva overcame fellow Russian Nadia Petrova and an inconsistent serve to reach the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix yesterday.

She won 6-3, 6-3 and was joined by compatriot Anastasia Myskina, who recovered from a disastrous start to advance 0-6, 6-1, 4-0 when Alexandra Stevenson retired with a back strain. Another Russian threatened an upset, but was unable to deliver, as seventh seeded American Chanda Rubin edged past Vera Zvonareva 1-6 6-4 6-3. Fifth seed Amelie Mauresmo of France was also stretched in the first set before beating Meghann Shaughnessy 7-6, 6-2.

Top Seed Schuettler Downs

Title Holder Mathieu in Lyon

Top seed Rainer Schuettler, a finalist in his last two tournaments, beat title holder Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Lyon Grand Prix yesterday.

The German, who ousted two Frenchmen on the way to winning last week’s Japan Open in Tokyo, was dominant throughout. A good performance in Lyon could help seal Schuettler’s place in the end-of-season Tennis Masters Cup.

Mathieu is playing five tournaments in five weeks as he attempts to return from abdominal injuries and the pain of losing the fifth match of last year’s Davis Cup final against Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny after being two sets up. Youzhny was the first player into the quarter-finals after beating Slovakia’s Dominik Hrbaty 1-6, 7-6, 6-2.

Third seed Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand eased past Spain’s David Sanchez 6-1, 6-1 and now plays Olivier Rochus of Belgium.