Estoril Open 2003 News and Events

Jiri Novak
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Top seed Jiri Novak was sent crashing out of the Estoril Open on the opening day when John van Lottum produced the best performance of his year to win 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5 in 2 hours, 33 minutes.

Fighting back from 0-3 down in the third set, van Lottum served for the match at 5-4 before being broken. But the Dutchman, who has recorded previous wins over Tommy Haas and Gustavo Kuerten but was 1-2 in 2003 before arriving in Estoril, saved another break point in the final game before clinching his berth in the second round.

"This is my first win over a Top 10 player," said van Lottum. "I've beaten big players before, but not while they were in the Top 10. You have to beat them early in a tournament, because once they get into it, they're tough to beat. But I knew I had a chance to win today."

Concentration

Novak, who served for the opening set at 5-4 but eventually had to come back from 5-2 down in the tie-break before taking it, seemed to have regained control of the match mid-way through the final set after losing his concentration in the second. But van Lottum, whose only win on the ATP circuit this year came in Chennai against Olivier Patience, clawed his way back into the set.

"I just wanted to keep on fighting," said van Lottum, who celebrates his 27th birthday on Thursday. "I had to take my chances. I was really nervous at the end and I was lucky that he made a few mistakes. But I'm really happy to have a win, and I'm going to enjoy this and see what happens on Wednesday."

For Novak, it was not the kind of start he wanted to make to his clay court season. "For sure it's disappointing," said the Czech. "I had a good chance to do well here and get some matches in. I was fighting, playing good, solid tennis, but I just didn't take my chances. I lost my concentration in the second set, but got it back in the third, but after 4-3 I just lost it."

In the second round, van Lottum will have to wait to see whether he will face qualifier Fernando Verdasco or Lucky Loser Galo Blanco, the two Spaniards who play on Tuesday. Blanco had to retire from his final qualifying match against Harel Levy after losing the first set 7-5 with a stiff neck, but still made the main draw following the withdrawal of Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Experience

Elsewhere on day one, Agustin Calleri had little trouble brushing aside 18-year-old Portuguese wild card Diogo Rocha, playing in his first ATP tournament. The Argentine, who won the title in Acapulco earlier in the year, took just 42 minutes to book his place in the second round.

"It was great to receive a wild card to play my first ATP event," said Rocha. "I was very nervous and he is just too experienced. I gave it my best, but the mind didn't respond and my game was very slow. At the end I congratulated him and wished him good luck for the rest of the tournament, because he's one of the guys with a good chance to win here at Estoril."

Calleri's fellow Argentine Jose Acasuso also progressed to the second round, defeating Vina del Mar champion David Sanchez 6-3, 6-4. He now meets either No. 4 seed Fernando Gonzalez or David Ferrer in the second round.

Razzano, Benesova Move Through

Third seed Virginie Razzano progressed to the second round of the Estoril Open with a 7-6(5), 6-0 victory over Barbara Rittner. The 19-year-old from France, looking for her first WTA Tour title, now meets either Antonella Serra Zanetti or Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Iva Benesova, the No. 8 seed, also moved through to the second round with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Tatiana Poutchek, although there was not such good news for No. 6 seed Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic, who went down 6-4, 6-4 to Sylvija Talaja of Croatia.

Talaja now takes on Roassana Neffa De Los Rios, whose opponent Marta Marrero retired at 3-3 in the third set with a left ankle strain.

Young Russian star Maria Karia Kirilenko, the reigning US Open Junior Champion who has been part of Yevgeny Kafelnikov's team in Russia, lost 6-2, 6-3 to Stephanie Cohen-Aloro of France. Kirilenko, who is only allowed to play 10 tournaments because of her age, was helped into the tournament when Kafelnikov asked for a wild card to be given to the young star.