Four of the five seeded players in action on Monday advanced during first round play of the Internationaler BTM Power Grand Prix in St. Poelten.

16. Mai, 2005• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Four Seeds Advance, No. 3 Andreev Upset • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Four of the five seeded players in action on Monday advanced during first round play of the Internationaler BTM Power Grand Prix in St. Poelten. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Argentina's Jose Acasuso was the only player to upset a seed on Monday as he took out No. 3 Igor Andreev 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Top seed Nikolay Davydenko advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Slovakian qualifier Michal Mertinak. Breaks of serve in the third and ninth game of the opening set put Davydenko up early. The players exchanged breaks early in the second set, but Davydenko, who faced only two break points all day, prevailed in straight sets.
Davydenko advances to play Sjeng Schalken, who was a winner yesterday. Schalken owns a 2-1 advantage all-time against the Russian, including a three set win in Marseille in February.
Austrian native and No. 4 seed Jurgen Melzer defeated countryman and wild card entrant Marco Mirnegg 6-3, 6-1. Melzer broke in the second game and led 3-0 before Mirnegg leveled the match at 3-all. Mirnegg proceeded to lose seven consecutive games, to put the match out of reach.
Fifth seed Mariano Puerta defeated Alex Calatrava 7-5, 6-2. After Puerta took a 4-1 lead, Calatrava battled back to make it 4-4, but Puerta recorded his third break of the opening set in the decisive 12 th game. A break in the fifth game of the second set secured Puerta's victory.
Seventh seed Potito Starace downed Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-6 (2) to advance to the second round.
Nicolas Almagro bested big-serving Ivo Karlovic in a pair of tie-breaks for a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) win, while Spanish wild card Felix Mantilla outlasted countryman and qualifier Francisco Fogues 7-6 (10), 7-5.
Gilles Muller advanced after taking the first set when Albert Montanes retired with a lower back injury. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and David Sanchez were also winners on Monday.
In doubles, the top seeded team of Cyril Suk and Pavel Vizner advanced with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Daniel Koellerer and Peter Luczak.
Also winning in doubles were the teams of Graydon Oliver and Jared Palmer and that of Petr Pala and Tomas Zib.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID...
Davydenko: "I am happy that I won quite easily today because I feel really tired. I am coming off a strong week in Hamburg last week and it was not easy to be fit on the court today."
"My goal this week is to play relaxed and to try to rest and recover from last week."
"My next match is against Sjeng Schalken, it will be difficult. He doesn't like to play long points and tries to go for winners most of the time. I hope I will be in good form."
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