Bellucci survives, Fognini falls in Brazil

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SAO PAULO, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Fifth-seeded Thomaz Bellucci survived a first-round challenge but No. 6 seed Fabio Fognini was bounced Tuesday and the Brazil Open.

Sao Paolo's Bellucci needed to win tiebreakers in the first and third sets to emerge with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 7-6 (7-1) victory over qualifier and fellow Brazilian Guilherme Clezar.

Bellucci was down 5-4 in the third set and but twice held serve, forcing a tiebreak and then dominating from there to shake off the 20-year-old challenger.

Italy's Fognini, meanwhile, didn't fare as well, falling to Argentine Guido Pella 7-6 (7-6), 1-6, 6-1.

Also Tuesday, eighth-seeded Albert Ramos got past fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 7-5, and Argentine Carlos Berlocq dispatched Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-4.

Filippo Volandri of Italy -- last year's runner-up -- also moved on, outslugging Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6) in first-round play.