|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Triumphant return Philippoussis cruises to victory in Hong Kong
Updated: Wednesday September 26, 2001 1:21 PM
HONG KONG (AP) -- Australian Mark Philippoussis beat Israel's Harel Levy in the first round of the $400,000 Hong Kong Salem Open Wednesday on his return from a six-month break after knee surgery. Philippoussis, ranked 87th in the world and seeded fifth in the tournament, won 6-3, 7-5 and hammered 20 aces in the process. "I played great. It was my first match and what was most important was that my knee pulled up great," said Philippoussis. Philippoussis, a losing finalist last year, will meet Germany's Rainer Schuettler in the second round. The Australian underwent surgery in March and has made a slow recovery. "It has been painful. I have spent two months in bed and another two months in a wheelchair and on crutches," he said. But Philippoussis said he had no plans of playing for Australia in November's Davis Cup final against France. American Andy Roddick, who lost his first round match to Brazilian Andre Sa on Tuesday when he retired with an inflamed right foot, said he had still not made up his mind whether to play in next week's $800,000 Japan Open in Tokyo because of his injury. "I'm sorry to have pulled out like this," said Roddick, ranked 15th in the ATP Champions Race. "I hope my foot will get better soon." Earlier this year, Roddick pulled out of his second round match against Australia's Lleyton Hewitt at the French Open with a hamstring injury. In other first round matches, top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain had to overcome a mid-match slump before defeating Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 while Australian Wayne Arthurs defeated compatriot Todd Woodbridge 6-2, 6-2. Also advancing to the second round were sixth-seed Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden and fellow countryman Magnus Larsson. Bjorkman beat Armenian Sargis Sargsian 6-2, 6-4, and Larsson defeated Neville Godwin of South Africa 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. In two other late-night matches, Chile's Nicolas Massau overcame Spaniard Alex Calatrava 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 and Chile's Marcelo Rios defeated Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
