Zabaleta tops No. 6 Almagro, Przysiezny ousts No. 4 Volandri in first round
SOPOT, Poland -- Mariano Zabaleta defeated Nicolas Almagro in straight sets while local hopeful Michal Przysiezny needed three sets to eliminate Filippo Volandri on Monday in the first round of the Orange Prokom Open.
Przysiezny overcame a second-set lapse to upset the fourth-seeded Volandri 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. Spain's Zabaleta beat Almagro, seeded sixth, 6-3, 7-5.
Matches on the first day of the $580,000 tournament on the clay at Sopot Tennis Club started 30 minutes late due to rain, which also forced the suspension of the match between Igor Andreev and Nicolas Lapentti.
Andreev led 6-0, 3-3 when the match was called off for the day.
In two other matches Monday, Albert Montanes of Spain defeated Diego Hartfield of Argentina 6-1, 6-3, and Jose Acasuso of Argentina defeated Austria's Werner Eschauer 6-2, 6-3.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
