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Fish flounders at Key Biscayne

Taiwan's Lu Yen-hsun returns a shot against Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia during their first round match at the Sony Ericsson Open on Thursday in Key Biscayne, Florida. Tipsarevic beat Lu 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. PHOTO: AFP

American Mardy Fish, who shocked world No.1 Roger Federer en route to the Indian Wells final last week, won't be making a giant-killing run at the second ATP Masters Series tournament of the season.

Fish fell at the first hurdle at the US$7.54 million WTA and ATP hardcourt tournament in Miami on Thursday, eliminated 6-3, 6-3 by France's Arnaud Clement.

For Clement it was a welcome change of fortune after three straight first-round defeats this year, at the Australian Open, Marseille and Indian Wells.

Fish was coming off perhaps the most impressive tournament of his career. He eliminated five seeded players at Indian Wells, including three top-10 players in Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian and Federer.

He finally succumbed to Serbian Novak Djokovic in the final, but his performance saw him leap from 98th to 40th in the world rankings.

"It's obviously a little disappointing to go out so early here," Fish said. "But I'm going to take a lot of memories from last week."

Eleni Daniilidou of Greece is attended to by a trainer after falling for a second time during her first round match against Peng Shuai of China at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne on Thursday. She was forced to retire from the match. PHOTO: AP

Fish said the letdown after such a week was mental rather than physical.

"It's pretty much all mental," said the American, a former 17th-ranked player whose career has been dogged by injuries. "I can't remember the last time going deep into a tournament that I felt that good."

Fish said fitness work had helped him with recurring tendinitis in his arm that in the past could hinder him late in tournaments.

"So physically, I feel fine," he said. "It's the mental part of having to turn around and come back. OK, now I'm in the first round again."

"Mentally, it's really tough to come down from that," he said.

Meanwhile struggling Marat Safin hit another low when he lost to US qualifier Bobby Reynolds 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5) in the first round.

Safin, a two-time Grand Slam champion, fell to 1-5 this year. He hasn't won a title since the 2005 Australian Open, and his ranking has fallen from 56th to 90th since the start of the year.

France's Michael Llodra, one of five players with two ATP titles this year, was beaten by Jurgen Melzer of Austria 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5).

Dominik Hrbaty's 12th consecutive appearance at Key Biscayne ended quickly when he lost to 19-year-old Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. The match was the first since the US Open for Hrbaty, who is coming back from elbow surgery.

In women's first-round play, Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama defeated Russian wild card Anastasia Pivovarova, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2).

Sugiyama, 32, is making her 14th appearance at Key Biscayne, while 17-year-old Pivovarova was playing her second career WTA event.

France's Emilie Loit defeated Virginia Ruano Pascual, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, to set up a clash with second-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia -- the newly crowned Indian Wells champion.
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