WASHINGTON, 3 August 2005 — Australian Wayne Arthurs almost paid the price for not eating enough, but 19-year-old American Phil Simmonds found he had bitten off more than he could chew in his ATP main draw debut. The 34-year-old Aussie Davis Cup veteran rallied to beat Simmonds 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 here Monday in an opening-ropund match at the $600,000 Washington Classic.
“I didn’t eat properly. I was shaking out there,” Arthurs said of his shaky first set. “I ate a couple sandwiches, probably not enough. I got over it. I knew I would.”
Another 19-year-old making his ATP debut, Aussie Robert Smeets, also threatened to reach the second round at the hardcourt event but South African Wesley Moodie outlasted the 271st-ranked Dutch-born qualifer 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
“I was happy with the way I played,” Smeets said. “I was serving quite well. I just couldn’t get on his serve.” Moodie booked a second-round date yesterday against British third seed Tim Henman, who won here in 2003 but skipped last year to play in the Olympics. Smeets will learn yesterday if he achieved his goal of reaching the US Open qualifying tournament.
Failure will mean an early trip home to Brisbane to see his mother and two sisters for the first time in a year and his dad for the first time in three months. Smeets will gladly delay the half-a-world journey to play in New York.
“It will be a scraper,” he said. “I will just make it or not.”
Arthurs seized momentum in the second set and broke the US qualifier in the second and fourth games of the third set, advancing to a second-round match against Czech Tomas Berdych. Arthurs is bouncing back from Australia’s 4-1 Davis Cup semifinal loss to Argentina last month and from a lack of work while attending the wedding of third-ranked Cup teammate Lleyton Hewitt. It’s a feeling that Smeets, whose parents moved to Brisbane at age 12, wants to experience himself one day. His Dutch background includes growing up on clay courts, which could help in away ties if his dreams someday come true.
While many Aussie tennis fans are looking for the next rising star, Arthurs made it clear that the changing of the guard is not yet at hand. Ecuador’s Giovanni Lapentti will face US top seed Andy Roddick yesterday after beating France’s Nicolas Mahut 6-2, 6-3.
American Paul Goldstein beat Colombia’s Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-2 to reach a today match against Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan.
American James Blake beat France’s Jean-Rene Lisnard 6-4, 6-3 while Czech Jan Hernych ousted British qualifier Jamie Delgado by the same score.
Blake Rolls Into the Second Round in Legg Mason Tennis Classic
James Blake advanced to the second round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Monday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Jean-Rene Lisnard.
“It’s a great feeling just to come out and be healthy,” said Blake, who won his only career title here in 2002. “Whether I win or lose, it’s nice to be able to give it my best.”
Blake, once ranked as high as 22nd, had an injury-plagued 2004, with a fractured vertebrae in his neck and a condition that caused vision and hearing problems. He is now ranked 101.
Lisnard, ranked 109, broke Blake’s serve to take a 3-2 lead in the second set before Blake won the next four games to seal a second-round match with fourth-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek. In other first-round matches, Giovanni Lapentti of Ecuador beat France’s Nicolas Mahut 6-2, 6-3 to set up a second-round clash with top seed Andy Roddick, while American Paul Goldstein defeated Colombia’s Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-2.
Second-seeded Andre Agassi, a five-time champion in Washington, withdrew on Monday to save himself for the US Open, the final grand slam event of the year.
Karatancheva Reaches Second Round in San Diego Tennis
In San Diego, California, Bulgarian teen Sesil Karatancheva upset No 13 seed Shinobu Asagoe of Japan 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 during the opening day of the $1.3 million WTA Acura Classic on Monday.
The 15-year-old Karatantcheva, who will turn 16 on Aug. 8, rallied back after a shaky second set to defeat Asagoe. Karatantcheva also defeated Asagoe at Roland Garros this year.
Karatantcheva will take on Lisa Raymond in the second round after the American came back from a set down to defeat France’s Marion Bartoli 1-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Asagoe wasn’t the only seed to fall to an up-and-comer on Monday, as No. 12 Tatiana Golovin of France lost 6-4, 6-4 to Russian teen Anna Chakvetadze.
The top eight seeds received first-round byes. Defending US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, along with Elena Dementieva, Nadia Petrova and last week’s Stanford tournament winner Kim Clijsters of Belgium are among the players taking part in this week’s event.
On the night card, No. 16 Dinara Safina of Russia saved four opening set points en route to a 7-6 (13-11), 6-4 victory over former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez of Spain.
The match lasted two hours, 17 minutes.
In the final match of opening day, No. 14 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia scored a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 win over Russian Maria Kirilenko.
Italian 15th seed Flavia Pennetta dispatched unseeded American Marissa Irvin 6-2, 6-2.
