France's Amelie Mauresmo is hoping a change of coasts brings a change of fortune at the WTA and ATP Masters Series tournament that started here Wednesday, while more of the same would no doubt suit men's top seed Roger Federer just fine. Swiss world number one Federer arrived at the 6.5 million-dollar tournament in Key Biscayne in search of one of the dwindling number of titles he hasn't yet won. Federer successfully defended his title at Indian Wells to add that title to the ones he has already claimed this year in Doha, Rotterdam and Dubai.
His only defeat of the year has come at the hands of Marat Safin, who downed Federer in the semi-finals of the Australian Open en route to the championship.
Mauresmo, on the other hand, suffered a disappointing third-round defeat at Indian Wells, where she crashed out to 44th-ranked Evgenia Linetskaya.
But 32 seeds on both the men's and women's sides were only spectators on a blustery, sometimes rainy opening day.
While they sat tight enjoying their first round byes, others jockeyed to join them in the second round.
Georgia's Irakli Labadze earned a second-round clash with the mercurial third seed, Safin.
COLLATED (x denotes seed):
MEN'S (1ST ROUND): Robby Ginepri (USA) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1; Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) bt Thomas Enqvist (SWE) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; David Ferrer (ESP) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6); Irakli Labadze (GEO) bt Younes El Aynaoui (MAR) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1; Alberto Martin (ESP) bt Agustin Calleri (ARG) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3); Jose Acasuso (ARG) bt Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 6-4, 6-3; Kevin Kim (USA) bt Luis Horna (PER) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/0); Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) bt Brendan Evans (USA) 6-2, 6-4; Greg Rusedski (GBR) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; Rainer Schuettler (GER) bt Potito Starace (ITA) 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 7-6 (7/5); Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Peter Wessels (NED) 6-4, 7-5; James Blake (USA) bt Kenneth Carlsen (DEN) 6-3, 6-2; Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Michael Llodra (FRA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) bt Max Mirnyi (BLR) 2-6, 6-4, 6-1; Igor Andreev (RUS) bt Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (14/12); Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) bt Cyril Saulnier (FRA) 6-2, 7-6 (7/4).
WOMEN (1ST ROUND): Vera Douchevina (RUS) bt Emilie Loit (FRA) 6-3, 6-3; Kveta Peschke (CZE) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (BUL) 6-3, 6-1; Kristina Brandi (PUR) bt Jamea Jackson (USA) 6-3, 6-2; Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) bt Marlene Weingartner (GER) 6-1, 4-3 retired; Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) bt Lindsay Lee-Waters (USA) 6-2, 6-0; Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) bt Tathiana Garbin (ITA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) bt Julia Schruff (GER) 6-4, 6-2; Denisa Chladkova (CZE) bt Iveta Benesova (CZE) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; Marissa Ivrin (USA) bt Magui Serna (ESP) 6-3, 7-5; Abigail Spears (USA) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-1; Shahar Peer (ISR) bt Marta Domachowska (POL) 6-2, 2-6, 7-5; Catalina Castano (COL) bt Stephanie Foretz (FRA) 6-1, 6-3; Alina Jidkova (RUS) bt Alyona Bondarenko (UKR) 6-2, 6-0; Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) bt Yuliana Fedek (UKR) 6-3, 6-0; Nicole Pratt (AUS) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 6-3, 6-2; Jill Craybas (USA) bt Virginie Razzano (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
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