Mon Jun 9 12:54:15 2008

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Berdych opens with a win in Halle

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Halle, Germany (Sports Network) - Third-seeded and defending champion Tomas Berdych was among Monday's first-round winners at the $1.12 million Gerry Weber Open, a grass-court Wimbledon tuneup.

Berdych handled 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson 6-3, 7-5 at Gerry Weber Stadium. The Czech Berdych has won his last six matches here, including a victory over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in last year's finale. Johansson was the Halle titlist back in 2001.

A Day-1 upset came when Germany's own Mischa Zverev drove out seventh-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The German faithful were treated to three other victories on Monday, as Philipp Kohlschreiber leveled Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-1, wild card Andreas Beck outlasted France's Marc Gicquel 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 and wild card Benjamin Becker blitzed fellow German Denis Gremelmayr 6-4, 6-2.

One other result saw Swede Robin Soderling sneak past another German wild card, Philipp Petzschner, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Soderling will meet Berdych in the second round here.

This week's top seed is French Open runner-up Roger Federer, who will open his stay here against German Michael Berrer. The reigning five-time Wimbledon champion Federer, who skipped this event last year, captured the Gerry Weber Open four straight years from 2003-2006.

This week's field also features second-seeded American James Blake and a fifth-seeded Baghdatis.

Wimbledon 2008 will commence in two weeks.