Second seed Tommy Haas crashed out of the US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas, on Thursday, suffering a straight-sets defeat to Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania.
The German veteran — who had inflicted a shock defeat on world No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the Miami Masters last month — was sent tumbling out 6-3, 6-3 at the River Oaks Country Club.
It was just the second time this year the 35-year-old Haas lost his opening match.
In other matches on Thursday, Nicolas Almagro continued his dominance of Gael Monfils on clay by rallying past the former world No. 7 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 in their second-round tie.
Almagro, of Spain, has now won three of five career meetings against the Frenchman, including all three times they have met on clay.
Almagro finished with three aces, one double fault and won 74 percent of his first-serve points in the 85-minute match.
Almagro advances to the third round where he faces Paolo Lorenzi, who won an all-Italian duel by beating Flavio Cipolla 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
Last year’s Houston runner-up John Isner of the US was also a second-round winner.
The fifth-seeded Isner outlasted fellow American Jack Sock 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3) in 2 hours, 30 minutes. The two big servers combined for 28 aces, including 15 from Isner.
In other matches, Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo ousted sixth-seeded fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-2 in 67 minutes and wild-card Rhyne Williams of the US beat Croatian lucky loser Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/3).
Karlovic lost despite blasting 28 aces to just seven for Williams.
GRAND PRIX HASSAN II
AP, CASABLANCA, Morocco
Kevin Anderson of South Africa reached the quarter-finals of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco, by defeating Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno-Busta 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday.
Second seed Anderson next plays Grega Zemlja of Slovenia, who beat Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.
Martin Klizan of Slovakia also advanced by dispatching Italian qualifier Filippo Volandri 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).
Third seed Klizan next faces Robin Haase of the Netherlands, who outlasted Kenny de Schepper of France 6-2, 6-7 (7/2), 6-3.
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