BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Top-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain moved the second round Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over David Ferrer at the $380,000 Copa AT&T claycourt tennis tournament.
The highly anticipated clash of former world No. 1's never materialized. Sixth-seeded Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil was slated to face another former world No. 1, Marcelo Rios of Chile, in the opening round, but Rios pulled out of the tournament Tuesday because of an injured left adductor muscle.
Instead, Kuerten dispatched lucky loser Ivan Miranda of Peru, 6-2, 6-4.
Moya, the 1995 winner at Buenos Aires, captured four ATP titles a year ago, but has started sluggishly in 2003. He lost to Mardy Fish of the U.S., in the second round of both the Sydney hardcourt event and the Australian Open.
Kuerten, the 2001 Buenos Aires champion, is gunning for his second ATP title of the year. He already captured the Auckland crown in January.
Meanwhile, the defending champion was ousted in the opening round. In a rematch of last year's title match, Nicolas Massu of Chile endured a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to Argentina's Agustin Calleri, who avenged his three-set defeat in the 2002 final and knotted the all-time series with Massu.
Four more seeded players moved into the second round Tuesday.
No. 3 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile got past David Sanchez of Spain, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; No. 4 Gaston Gaudio beat wild card and fellow Argentine Mariano Puerta, 6-4, 6-2. In another all-Argentine encounter, No. 5 Juan Ignacio Chela rallied past qualifier Marcelo Charpentier, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1; and No. 7 Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador overwhelmed qualifier Andrea Gaudenzi of Italy, 6-4, 6-1.
In a clash of unseeded Spaniards, Felix Mantilla coasted to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Albert Portas.
