Hamburg Masters: Davydenko cruises

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAMBURG, Germany -- Nikolay Davydenko cruised into the third round of the Hamburg Masters by defeating Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-1 Tuesday, while two more players retired because of injuries. Luis Horna dropped out with a calf injury while trailing Potito Starace 6-3, 4-2, and Kristof Vliegen pulled out with a back injury with Jose Acasuso leading 5-2. Filippo Volandri retired Monday with a knee injury. Fifth-seeded David Ferrer also breezed into the third round, defeating Ivo Minar 6-3, 6-3. Davydenko dominated Ljubicic after the two players traded five breaks of serve early in the match. "The first match is always difficult," said Davydenko, who had a first-round bye. The Russian, who is coming off a third-round loss to Tommy Robredo in Rome, won the Masters tournament in Miami last month. "Losing to Robredo was difficult, but the win in Miami has made me mentally stronger," Davydenko said. Ljubicic has not beaten Davydenko in four years. Robredo rallied Tuesday to outlast Philipp Kohlschreiber 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3. He won his first match in Hamburg since capturing the title in 2006. The 13th-seeded Robredo was helped by a disputed call in the second set. Losing the point would have put Robredo down a break but chair umpire Gerry Armstrong overruled the linesman, calling the ball good. A long discussion involving both players, Armstrong and the tournament supervisor followed. The point was eventually replayed and Robredo held his serve. "You try to shut it out but you keep thinking about it," Kohlschreiber said. "But it wasn't what decided the match. I made some bad decisions in my shots." Robredo broke serve for a decisive 4-2 lead in the third. He double-faulted on one match point, but used the next to win. Withdrawals have become a common theme in European clay-court tournaments in the past month. At the Rome Masters last week, five players withdrew. No semifinal match was completed. The second-ranked Rafael Nadal, who lost in Rome in the second round after getting treated for a major blister on his foot, has blamed the crowded schedule for the series of retirements. In another second-round match, Fernando Verdasco defeated Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-0. In first-round action, 11th-seeded Carlos Moya rallied to defeat Julien Benneteau 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7), and Janko Tipsarevic rallied past Andreas Beck 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

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