Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sports Network) - Oft-injured former world No. 3 David
Nalbandian posted an opening-round victory Wednesday at the clay-court Brasil
Open.
The 2002 Wimbledon runner-up, who's playing doubles with former No. 1 great
Rafael Nadal this week, outlasted Chilean qualifier Jorge Aguilar 7-5, 5-7,
6-3.
The 31-year-old Nalbandian's second-round opponent will be unheralded fellow
Argentine Guido Pella.
Wednesday's lone second-round bout of the day also produced the biggest upset
thus far of the tournament, with Argentine lucky loser Martin Alund edging
fourth-seeded Jeremy Chardy after besting the Frenchman in a third-set
tiebreaker.
Alund took advantage of 16 double faults from Chardy to hang on for a 6-4,
4-6, 7-6 (7-5) decision in a match that lasted two hours and 36 minutes.
In other first-round action, Brazilian qualifier Joao Souza got past Spaniard
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 7-6 (8-6), retired, and Spain's Albert Montanes, playing
in his 10th Brasil Open, handled Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-4. Souza is
rewarded with a second-round match against perhaps the greatest clay-court
player of all-time -- Nadal -- on Thursday.
Nadal, the top seed, of course, in Sao Paulo, was a shocking loser at the
hands of Argentine Horacio Zeballos in last week's final in Vina Del Mar,
Chile. It marked his first action in seven months after being sidelined with a
knee injury.
Zeballos will not capture his second ATP World Tour title this week, as he
succumbed to Chilean qualifier Paul Capdeville, 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 3-0, retired,
in Sao Paulo on Wednesday.
This week's second seed is two-time reigning champion Nicolas Almagro, who
beat Italian Filippo Volandri in last year's finale here and also
captured this event in Costa do Sauipe in 2008 and 2011.
Almagro will meet Capdeville on Thursday.
The 2013 Brasil Open titlist will earn $82,300.
The Sports Network