Croatia's Davis Cup hero Mario Ancic and Spain's Tommy Robredo crashed out of the Australian hardcourt tennis championship in the second round here on Wednesday. Fourth seed Ancic was eliminated by Belgian Xavier Malisse, who overcame the tall Croatian 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10/8).
Ancic failed to make the most of his booming serve in the final set tiebreaker, twice letting slip match points on serve.
Malisse admitted there was an element of luck in his victory.
"Once you get to five-all or six-all in the breaker it becomes a lottery, about luck and the luck went my way today," Malisse said.
"During the match I started to read his serve well and make him play in his service games, and in the third set it was good tennis, we both played well."
Robredo, seeded third, also lost in tight circumstances, undone 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-3 by 49th-ranked Frenchman Florent Serra.
Serra's previous success, including his first ATP tour title at Bucharest last year, had come on clay but he adapted better to Memorial Drive than Robredo.
Finnish seventh-seed Jarkko Niemenen beat Germany's Florian Mayer 7-6 (7/1), 7-5.
American fifth seed James Blake was another seeded casualty, falling to Italian Andreas Seppi, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the night match.