South African tennis player Wayne Ferreira needed two tiebreakers to advance past Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia at the Tennis Masters Madrid tournament in Spain.
The 32-year-old Ferreira overcame a sore groin and elbow Monday to win the match, 7-6, 7-6. The South African, who announced plans to retire at the end of 2004, will meet top-ranked Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the second round.
In the opening centercourt match, Gaston Gaudio of Argentina rallied from a set down to beat Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. Another Argentine, Juan Ignacio Chela, also advanced, scoring a three set win (6-4, 1-6, 6-1) over Spain's Alberto Martin.
Vincent Spadea of the United States was a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Belgian Christophe Rochus, while Nicolas Massu of Chile topped Fernando Verdasco of Spain, 7-6, 6-4. The tournament is played on Green Set, a fast hardcourt surface.
Top-seeded American Lindsay Davenport withdrew from the Swisscom Challenge tennis tournament in Zurich Monday because of her foot injury.
Davenport has had a nerve problem in two toes on her left foot for several months, and there is speculation the three-time Grand Slam singles winner won't have surgery until after the season-ending WTA Championship next month in Los Angeles.
On the courts at the Zurich event Monday, Jelena Dokic of Serbia-Montenegro upset American Chanda Rubin in three sets 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. Also in the first round, sixth-seeded Ai Sugiyama of Japan needed three sets to get past Spain's Magui Serna, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Tina Pisnik of Slovenia, defeated Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 6-3, 6-0, and Anna Pistolesi of Israel topped Italian player Silvia Farina Elia, 6-2, 7-5. Amy Frazier of the United States came back from a first set loss to beat Spaniard Conchita Martinez, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.