Defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero was eliminated by Luis Horna of Peru 6-3, 6-1 in the second round of the €2,4-million Madrid Masters on Wednesday.
Ferrero, who had a first-round bye as the sixth seed, committed 37 unforced errors in his worst result since April, when he could win only three games against Spanish countryman Fernando Verdasco in the Valencia semifinals.
Horna broke Ferrero’s service in the first game of both sets and never looked ruffled, even when he twisted an ankle early in the second set. He improved his record against Ferrero to 2-0, and earned a berth against Romania’s Andrei Pavel.
”I played badly and Luis played regular,” Ferrero said. ”I’m not at my level. Not playing many games hasn’t helped. You lack confidence when you don’t win many games.”
Ferrero also blamed his new racket.
”It takes time to adapt to a new racket,” Ferrero said. ”You have to be better prepared.”
Last year’s runner-up, Nicolas Massu, also lost, along with 11th seed Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, number 13 Rainer Schuettler of Germany and number 15 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, but top-seeded Tim Henman and number three Marat Safin advanced.
Henman defeated Albert Costa of Spain 6-4, 6-2, starting his first tour match since the US Open semifinals by breaking Costa’s opening serve with an emphatic smash. Henman raced to a 5-1 lead before losing three straight games. Costa had another break point in the 10th game, but Henman held on to win the set.
Volleying superbly, he broke Costa again to go up 2-1 and 5-2 and beat the Spaniard for the seventh time in 10 match-ups.
”We both knew each other’s game pretty well. It was a question of who was going to play better on the day,” said Henman. ”It’s my first win in Madrid, so it’s obviously a good start.”
He found the ball speed in the high-altitude city an advantage.
”It certainly does fly,” Henman said. ”But I felt that the way I was serving the majority of the time, that can be in my favour … It’s an advantage to the volleyer, definitely.”
Henman now faces Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic, who upset Schuettler 6-3, 6-0. Ljubicic has won his past two matches against the Briton.
”These will be conditions that suit him well,” Henman said. ”He’s got a huge, huge serve.”
Safin battled past CA Trophy champion Feliciano Lopez of Spain 7-5, 6-7 (5) 6-3, smashing 17 aces to beat Lopez for the first time.
”I never win at altitude. It’s the perfect beginning to a tournament, couldn’t be better,” said Safin, who next faces Austria’s Stefan Koubek.
Koubek eliminated Gonzalez 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
”He [Koubek] has a lot of downs then comes up with some really great matches,” Safin said. ”He can be really dangerous.”
Earlier, 16th-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand downed Alex Corretja 7-6 (5), 6-3 for the first time, driving forehands past the Spaniard in the tie break, and making the decisive break for 4-2 in the second set. Paradorn blew down 12 aces.
Olympic champion and fifth seed Massu was bounced out by American Taylor Dent 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and Novak fell to Germany’s Tommy Haas 6-1, 6-4.
Leaks in the tarpaulin roofing of the two peripheral courts at the Rockodrome arena forced play to be suspended for nearly an hour in mid-afternoon. — Sapa-AP