Marseille, France (Sports Network) - French star Richard Gasquet dropped his
opening-round match Tuesday at the $700,000 Open 13 tennis event.
Capable left-hander Gilles Muller of Luxembourg ousted the fifth-seeded
Gasquet in 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) fashion in just under two hours on the indoor
surface at Palais des Sports. Gasquet was a titlist in Montpellier, France two
weeks ago, but has now lost his last two matches, including a second-rounder
in Rotterdam last week.
Meanwhile, former world No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko got past Ukrainian Sergiy
Stakhovsky 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 and French crowd favorite Michael Llodra handled
promising Belgian David Goffin 6-2, 6-4. The 2010 champion and 2009 Marseille
runner-up Llodra was last year's runner-up here to Argentine slugger Juan
Martin del Potro.
Also on Tuesday, Indian Somdev Devvarman surprised Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-6
(8-6), 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut overcame Serbian
qualifier Filip Krajinovic 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 and Latvian Ernests Gulbis
drubbed Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-2.
The Sports Network