Roddick falls in China Open first round

BEIJING, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Defending champion Andy Roddick was a first-round upset loser Tuesday at the $3.3 million China Open in Beijing.

Roddick, seeded third this year after winning last year's China Open, was dumped by Lukasz Kubot 6-2, 6-4. Roddick usually is supported by a strong service game, but Tuesday his serve was broken five times and Kubot won more points (30-29) on Roddick's serve than the reigning champion did.

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal needed a third set but advanced with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over Marcos Baghdatis. Nadal didn't face a break point in the first or third sets but dropped service games twice in the second.

No. 4-seeded Nikolay Davydenko was also a three-set winner, taking out Igor Kunitsyn 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2 while fifth-seeded Fernando Verdasco rallied for a 6-7 (7-9), 6-1, 6-2 win over Robby Ginepri. No. 6-seeded Robin Soderling defeated Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 and seventh-seeded Fernando Gonzalez topped David Ferrer 7-5, 6-4.

Also in Tuesday's first-round action, Marat Safin beat Jose Acasuso 6-4, 6-2; Viktor Troicki stopped Fabio Fognini 7-6 (7-5), 7-5; Ivan Ljubicic survived a 7-6 (10-8), 4-6, 6-1 match with Paul-Henri Mathieu; and James Blake earned a second-round match against Nadal by beating Florian Mayer 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.