Posted at 6:42 a.m., Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Davydenko wins despite being hit in eye by serve
Associated Press
HALLE, Germany — Despite being hit in the eye by a serve, Nikolay Davydenko defeated Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open.The third-ranked Russian, the top-seeded player after Roger Federer's withdrawal, was leading 5-2 in the final set when Melzer's serve bounced into his left eye. Davydenko's eye swelled slightly as he finished the match.
"If my eye gets swollen and blue, I have to seriously consider if I can play," said Davydenko, who lost to Federer in the French Open semifinals last week. "I want to be 100 percent OK with my eye to play."
Davydenko, who lost in his last two Halle appearances in 2003 and 2004, adjusted the tension on his racket strings in the middle of the match.
"I was surprised that I was getting better control after the racket change, and think I now have a good chance to win some more matches on grass," the Russian said.
In other matches, qualifier Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi upset fifth-seeded Richard Gasquet of France 7-6 (8), 6-4.
Andrei Pavel of Romania advanced by beating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 7-6 (5), Florian Mayer of Germany defeated Michael Kohlmann of Germany 7-6 (4), 7-5, and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland beat Kristof Vliegen of Belgium 6-3, 6-1.
