Eighth seed Max Mirnyi rescued three match points while sixth seed Mardy Fish held off fellow American James Blake as both advanced in three-set thrillers at an ATP and WTA event here on Monday. Mirnyi outlasted American teen Brian Baker 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 (11/9) while Fish outfought Blake 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (9/7) in opening-round matches at the 860,000-dollar hardcourt event featuring a men's and women's tournament.
On the women's side, half of the top eight were eliminated when Japan's Akiko Morigami ousted Slovakian fourth seed Martina Sucha 6-4, 7-5 after fifth seed Mashona Washington fell to fellow American Abigail Spears 6-3, 7-5.
American second seed Amy Frazier and Russian sixth seed Alina Jidkova were ousted Sunday.
Top seed and reigning women's champion Vera Zvonareva of Russia opens defence of her crown Tuesday against Czech Michaela Pastikova.
In addition to Mirnyi and Fish, two other winners were pushed to a third set tie-breaker before advancing.
Kevin Kim beat fellow American Scoville Jenkins 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4) and Dane Kenneth Carlsen beat France's Gregory Carraz 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/0).
Men's top seed Andy Roddick, fresh from taking his 16th career ATP title by winning Sunday's final at San Jose, opens his quest for back-to-back crowns on Wednesday against South Korean Lee Hyung-Taik.
Roddick, 22, reached the quarter-finals here last week before losing to Sweden's Thomas Enqvist.
Germany's Tommy Haas, a semi-final loser to Roddick last weekend, is the second seed.
Sweden's Joachim Johansson, the 2004 men's champion here, won a title last week at Marseille and is not defending this crown.
ATP and WTA COLLATED RESULTS: (x denotes seed):
MEN'S (FIRST ROUND): Kevin Kim (USA) bt Scoville Jenkins (USA) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4); Max Mirnyi (BLR x8) bt Brian Baker (USA) 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 (11/9); Kenneth Carlsen (DEN) bt Gregory Carraz (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/0); Frank Dancevic (CAN) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 6-2, 6-4; Antony Dupuis (FRA) leads Jeff Morrison (USA) 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/5); Mardy Fish (USA x6) vs. James Blake (USA) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (9/7).
WOMEN'S (FIRST ROUND): Evgenia Linetskaya (RUS x8) bt Edina Gallovits (ROM) 6-4, 6-3; Angela Haynes (USA) bt Melissa Irvin (USA) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-5; Severine Beltrame (FRA) bt Lilia Osterloh (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Kristina Brandi (PUR) bt Jennifer Hopkins (USA) 6-3, 6-0; Hana Sromova (CZE) bt Jill Craybas (USA) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; Abigail Spears (USA) bt Mashona Washington (USA x5) 6-3, 7-5; Nicole Vaidisova (CZE x7) bt Lindsey Lee-Waters (USA) 6-2, 6-3; Akiko Morigami (JPN) bt Martina Sucha (SVK x4) 6-4, 7-5.
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