Top seeded American Andy Roddick and Scottish teenager Andy Murray could be headed for another ATP semi-final showdown.
Both Roddick and the third-seeded Murray won their first-round matches in Memphis on Wednesday in the US$757,000 ATP tournament running alongside a WTA Tour women's event at this hardcourt venue.
Murray beat Roddick in the semi-finals at San Jose, California, last weekend en route to winning the title. The two could meet in the semi-finals here as well.
Roddick launched his bid to add a second Memphis title to the one he won in 2002 with a 6-2, 7-5 first-round victory over Sweden's Thomas Johansson.
Murray outlasted Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, the 19-year-old improving to 4-0 this season in three-set matches.
Roddick broke Johansson three times and saved one break point against the former Australian Open champion.
Roddick next meets German Benjamin Becker, who rallied to beat American Robert Kendrick 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Murray dominated early, dropping just four points on his serve in the opening set. But he had to rally from a 2-4 deficit in the third set to advance. Murray next plays Denmark's Kristian Pless.
In the only other match involving a men's seed, No. 7 Julien Benneteau of France reached the second round with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea.
Dubai Open
Justine Henin, who is simultaneously trying to recover from a wrecked marriage and to maintain an unbeaten record at the Dubai Open, came perilously close to a first round debacle against a 16-year-old qualifier.
Tamira Paszek of Austria was within one point of trying to serve for the match against the struggling world No. 2 before Henin summoned just enough of her renowned fighting qualities to scramble through 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Henin could have another tough task because she next plays Eleni Daniilidou, the popular former top 20 player from Greece, who has won two out of their three encounters so far.
Daniilidou made her second great escape in three days to earn her chance of bringing down the champion. Having beaten the seventh-seeded Li Na from China in three sets in the first round, she came from 1-3 down in the final set against Ai Sugiyama, the former top 10 player from Japan, by 5-7,6-1,7-5.
However Amelie Mauresmo, the second-seeded Wimbledon champion from France, had a much more comfortable time as she beat Vera Dushevina of Russia by 6-2, 6-2.
Rotterdam Open
Frenchman Gael Monfils confessed on Wednesday that he was frustrated after crashing out in the first round of the Rotterdam Open.
The 20-year-old No. 51 lost to lucky loser Dennis van Scheppingen 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3.
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