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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 7:25 a.m., Monday, January 5, 2009

Tennis: Roddick, Monfils through to second round in Doha

Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Fourth-seeded Andy Roddick moved into the second round of the Qatar Open with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ivan Navarro of Spain today.

Fifth-seeded Gael Monfils of France also advanced with 6-2, 6-2 win over Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic.

"It's a good start to the year," said Roddick, who served eight aces. "I am pretty happy with my play. I didn't do anything stupid. I returned well. I got what I wanted from the match. I have been training hard in the offseason."

Monfils, the 2006 finalist who broke into the top 20 last year and was a surprise semifinalist at the French Open, was delighted with his performance, which included seven aces.

"It's good it wasn't a long match but I practiced hard before the season began," he said. "I did everything and it was a perfect match for me."

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer play Tuesday at the $1.2 million tournament.