STUTTGART, Germany, July 12 (UPI) -- Argentine Guillermo Canas advanced to the second round of the $762,000 Mercedes Cup Monday with a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Belgian Dick Norman.
Canas had just one win in his previous five tournaments, losing his last two matches.
Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic defeated Juan-Pablo Guzman of Argentina, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, to set up a second-round encounter with top seed Rainer Schuettler of Germany. Schuettler and the other 15 seeds were given byes into the second round.
Stepanek's compatriot, Bohdan Ulihrach, advanced to the second round when Romanian Victor Hanescu was forced to retire in the second set. Ulihrach held a 7-6 (7-3), 4-1 advantage when the match was called.
Among other first-round matches, Austrian Stefan Koubek beat Olivier Patience of France, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) and Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale routed Spaniard Galo Blanco, 6-3, 6-1.
