Davydenko advances at Mercedes Cup

STUTTGART, Germany, July 13 (UPI) -- Unseeded Spaniard Ivan Navarro pushed second-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko hard before succumbing in Monday's first round of the Mercedes Cup in Germany.

Navarro won the first set 6-4 but Davydenko came back to win the next two 7-5, 6-3.

Davydenko will play German wild card Michael Berrer in the second round of the clay court event at Stuttgart. Berrer also had a tough first match, defeating Austrian wild card Stefan Koubek 0-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4).

In other first-round play, fourth-seeded Romanian Victor Hanescu defeated German qualifier Dominik Meffert 6-4, 7-6 (8-6); and Polish wild card Lukasz Kubot beat Spanish qualifier Pablo Andujar 6-2, 6-4.

Argentine Juan Martin del Potro downed Frenchman Richard Gasquet to win this event last year.

Frenchman Gilles Simon is the top seed this year.