Montreal, Aug 11 (DPA) Marin Cilic lost serve five times as the 14th seed became the first upset victim at the Montreal Masters in a 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 opening-day loss to Mikhail Youzhny.
Croatia’s Cilic, winner of the home Zagreb title this season, now stands 0-3 in the series with the 65th-ranked Russian.
Youzhny was burdened with ten double-faults Monday in the patchy victory in two and a half hours which moved him into the second round against the winner from young Americans Jesse Levine and last weekend’s Washington semi-finalist John Isner.
Canadian outsider Frederic Niemeyer, 33, will close out his home career before retirement at the end of 2009 as he plays Roger Federer after defeating Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn 7-5, 6-1.
Niemeyer is playing for his 12th time at the home event and has now won two matches in that period. He went down to Andre Agassi in the first round six years ago.
The 297 Canadian will be under a handicap after injuring his knee near the kneecap in his win and receiving icing from the trainer frequently during his match.
But hope springs eternal for a player with just over 6,000 in 2009 earnings and a 1-2 record this season. “Win or lose, I said I want to play well and have fun. It’s going to be tough.
“Hopefully I will serve well. But I’ll have to take some risk – hopefully the risks I take will go in (the court).”
With Federer the father of newborn twin girls, Niemeyer – with a young daughter of his own – may have another slim hope. “Hopefully, he sleeps none,” he said of the Swiss whose family is travelling with a baby nanny and using private jets.
“Hopefully he’s a bit off and I’m playing well.”
But Federer will likely be unmoved by the “plea.” “I’m happy to be back on Tour and I’m happy (wife) Mirka was willing to join on the long trip. It helped that we flew with NetJets over here. I don’t think I would have done it otherwise.
“I don’t need nine or ten hours of sleep per night like I used to earlier in my career,” said the Swiss who turned 28 on Saturday. “I can take six or seven hours and you can nap also.
Elsewhere, Russian Igor Andreev got a victory after 36 minutes when Dmitry Tursunov quit at 5-5 injured. German Rainer Schuettler advanced over Frenchman Florent Serra 6-4, 6-0.
rounak