Nicolas Massu wins first-round match

CASABLANCA, Morocco, April 7 (UPI) -- Chile's Nicolas Massu saved one match point before toppling sixth seed Fernando Vicente of Spain Monday in the first round of the Grand Prix Hassan II claycourt event.

Massu rallied for a 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) victory to advance past the first round of a tournament for the second time this year.

"It was 6-0 in the first set and played nothing. I played so bad," the Chilean said. "I didn't have any confidence going into the second set. It was a lot different playing on clay for the first time again. Then I won my serve and broke him at 2-2 and started turning it around."

Vicente, a former champion here, held a match point on his serve at 6-5 in the third set.

"He served for it at 6-5 and I think I played a really good game. I came in four or five times," Massu said. "I attacked and did what I needed. In the tie break, I got a little nervous when I was up 5-1, so I was happy to win in the end."

Peru's Luis Horna continued eighth-seeded Brazilian Andre Sa's early season struggles with a 6-4, 6-0 triumph. Sa is 0-9 in 2003.

Flavio Saretta of Brazil beat Anthony Dupuis of France, 6-4, 6-1, and was happy to get back to the friendly clay surface after the brief hardcourt season.

"It's good for us South American guys now - all the matches are on the red stuff for a while," Saretta said. "The court was a little big faster than I'm used to, I've been practicing with slower balls and that was a difference for me."

Argentina's Franco Squillari crushed Moroccan wild card Telal Ouahabi, 6-1, 6-3. Ouahabi had played just one prior match on the ATP circuit.

"This match really showed how much I need to work on my serve," the local player said. "Now it's off to another Futures tournament in Algeria before I come back for another Futures here in Morocco."

Zeljko Krajan of Croatia took advantage of an error-prone Albert Portas to beat the Spaniard, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Portas served for the the first set at 6-5 but committed three double faults.