Tue Aug 26 23:29:43 2008

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Federer advances at U.S. Open

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Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Roger Federer was among the first- round winners Tuesday at the U.S. Open.

Switzerland's Federer, the second seed, had no problems in his first round matchup as he dispatched Argentina's Maximo Gonzalez in straight sets 6-3, 6-0, 6-3. Federer is the four-time defending champion. The 12-time major champ beat Novak Djokovic in last year's final.

Former champion Marat Safin went the distance to get past veteran American Vincent Spadea 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at Ashe Stadium on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The former world No. 1 and two-time major titlist Safin captured the U.S. Open back in 2000. The big Russian will meet Spaniard Tommy Robredo in the second round.

Eleventh-seeded Chilean slugger Fernando Gonzalez advanced with a tough 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) victory over Spaniard Ivan Navarro. Gonzalez was the Olympic runner-up to world No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the Olympic tennis tournament two weeks ago.

A mild upset came when former Top-5 German star Tommy Haas erased 12th-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet in a splendid five-setter, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. Haas reached the quarterfinals here in three of the previous four years.

In other action involving Top-16 seeds, No. 13 Spaniard Fernando Verdasco vaulted past Russian Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 6-4, 6-1, and No. 15 Robredo rolled past German Mischa Zverev 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-1 and 6-foot-10 No. 14 Croat Ivo Karlovic handled Czech Jan Minar 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.

American Sam Querrey posted an upset by dismantling 22nd-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-1, 6-2, while 23rd-seeded Russian Igor Andreev dropped Frenchman Marc Gicquel 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4 and 31st-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi edged out Korean Hyung-Taik Lee 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 3-6, 6-3.

Other seeded action saw Czech Ivo Minar advance past 20th-seeded Nicolas Kiefer after the German retired in the fourth set and 24th-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu defeated compatriot Sebastien Grosjean 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-2

Additional opening-round wins came for Finn Jarkko Nieminen, Spaniard Guillermo-Garcia Lopez, Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy, Nicolas Devilder and Florent Serra, Korean Yen-Hsun Lu, Brazil's Thiago Alves, Americans Mardy Fish and Bobby Reynolds, Portugal's Rui Machado and Italian lucky-loser Flavio Cipolla, who replaced 21st-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the draw and outlasted Czech Jan Hernych 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-0), 7-6 (7-4).

The U.S. Open marks the fourth and final major of the year.