ESTORIL, Portugal, April 9 (UPI) -- Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero opened defense of his Estoril Open Tuesday with a 7-5, 6-2 first-round victory over France's Cedric Pioline.
Ferrero has been slowed by a stress fracture in his left foot over the last three weeks but showed no effects of the injury in defeating Pioline, who received a wild card berth in the tournament.
However, Ferrero's countryman Albert Costa, the No. 4 seed and 1999 champion, was not as fortunate, suffering a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6) loss to Argentina's Guillermo Coria.
Playing in only his second ATP event of the year, Coria advanced to a second-round meeting with Brazil's Fernando Meligeni, who rallied to defeat fellow Brazilian, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Ferrero will face Argentina's David Nalbandian in his
second-round match.
No. 2 Marat Safin was leading David Ferrer of Spain,
6-4, 2-6, 3-1, when the match was suspended due to darkness. It will be completed on Wednesday, following the women's match between Safin's younger sister, Dinara Safina, and Miriam Oremans.
In the other men's match involving a seeded player, Spain's Juan Antonio Marin upset No. 6 seed Xavier Malisse of Belgium, 6-1, 6-0.
In other matches involving unseeded players, Finland's Jarkko Nieminen defeated Italy's Andrea Gaudenzi, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1; Romania's Adrian Voinea got past Spain's Fernando Verdasco, 6-0, 6-3; and Martin Stepanek of the Czech Republic defeated Brazil's Francisco Costa.
On the women's side, top seed Angeles Montolio of Spain had no problem reaching the second round, drubbing Irina Selyutina of Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-0.
However, No. 2 seed Cristina Torrens Valero of Spain was an upset victim, falling to Spanish qualifier Lourdes Doinquez Lino, 7-5, 6-1.
The other two seeds in action advanced, although Spain's Magui Serna got off to a slow start before rallying for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Hungary's Zsovia Gubascsi. No. 7 Katarina Srebotnik of Slovakia ousted Seda Noorlander of the Netherlands, 6-4, 6-2.
In matches involving unseeded players, Oremans defeated Selima Sfar of Tunisia, 6-4, 6-3; Adriana Gersi of the Czech Republic bounced Spain's Eva Bes, 6-4, 6-0; Austria's Barbara Schwartz downed Zimbabwe's Cara Black, 6-4, 6-4; and France's Celine
Beigbeder toppled Portugal's Neuza Silva, 6-2, 6-2.
Also, Anca Barna of Germany ousted Libuse Prusova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-1; Hungary's Rita Kuti Kis bested Bulgaria's Lubomira Bacheva, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6); and Slovakia's Maja Matevzic beat German's Barbara Rittner, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7).
On Monday, 15-year-old Safina made a stunning WTA Tour debut Monday, eliminating third seed Martina Sucha of Slovakia, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
