DUESSELDORF, Germany, 20 May 2003 — Tomas Behrend, the World No. 102, produced a stirring fightback to beat Marcelo Rios 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 and pull hosts Germany level with Chile at 1-1 in their World Team Cup tie yesterday.
On a day when rain forced the players indoors to a special court laid on top of an ice rink, Fernando Gonzalez beat Lars Burgsmueller 6-4, 7-6 to put Chile ahead but Behrend came from 6-3, 4-2 down to beat the former world number one.
Behrend, called up to replace Rainer Schuettler, who fainted during the Hamburg Masters last week, was guilty of too many unforced errors in the early stages as Rios raced through the first set.
The Chilean looked on course for an easy win when he broke early in the second but Behrend upped his game to break back for 4-4.
Rios, who was playing his first match since the Miami Masters Series event in March, was visibly rattled and Behrend rode his luck to level at one set apiece.
With the home crowd roaring their support, Behrend broke to lead 3-1 in the decider, but the Chilean broke back immediately and both players then saved break points to stay on terms and force a tie-break. Behrend got the first mini-break and maintained his momentum to move ahead 6-2, before clinching a famous victory on his first match point with a service winner.
Earlier, Gonzalez survived the change of venue and a bout of physiotherapy to beat Burgsmueller in the opening singles.
The two players were level at 2-2 when rain forced them off the court. After a delay of about an hour, they reconvened at the ice rink, where one more break in the tenth game was enough to give the Chilean the first set.
Roddick Safely
Through in Austria
Top seed Andy Roddick warmed up for next week’s French Open by beating Alberto Martin in the first round of the Austrian Grand Prix claycourt tournament in St. Poelten yesterday.
The 20-year-old American, a winner of five titles to date but looking for his first of the season, dispatched the Spaniard 6-1, 7-6.
Roddick, whose five titles have all been captured on home soil, has this year been a finalist in Houston and Memphis and reached the last four at the Australian Open. The American next plays unseeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber, who overcame Austria’s sole representative Juergen Melzer 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.
Three seeds failed to clear the first hurdle. Fourth seeded American Taylor Dent lost 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 to Croat Mario Ancic, while compatriot and fifth seed Jan-Michael Gambill lost 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to wild card entrant and former Wimbledon champion Richard KrajiceSeventh seed Karol Kucera of Slovakia was swept away 6-2, 6-1 by Dutchman Martin Verkerk. However, sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia had no problems in dismissing Slovak Karol Beck 6-4, 6-2. French Open defending champion and second seed Albert Costa plays his first-round match today.
