Monfils cruises in Japan opener
TOKYO -- Fourth seed Gael Monfils powered past Turkish qualifier Marsel Ilhan 6-2, 6-4 in the first round of the Japan Open on Monday.
The Frenchman will face Swiss Marco Chiudinelli after he knocked out Israeli Dudi Sela 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Monfils, coming off his second career ATP Tour title in Metz, was never threatened by Ilhan but sportingly applauded him after a couple of audacious shots.
Need the scores from any match played in today's tournaments? "It gave me a little confidence to win [in Metz] but it was not a big sensation for me," Monfils, the world No. 13, told reporters. "I'm pretty confident. I think a have a big chance to win this week."
U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, runner-up here last year, heads the field after world No. 1 Roger Federer and third-ranked Andy Murray pulled out.
Monfils had tasted defeat in six finals since his breakthrough title in Sopot, Poland, in 2005 but insisted the statistics were misleading.
"I played [Ivan] Ljubicic when he was number three, I was 19," said Monfils. "I played (Andy Roddick) when he was two. I played Federer -- what can you do?"
Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka also advanced by beating American John Isner 6-4, 6-4, the seventh seed wrapping up a solid win with a rasping backhand down the line.
As rain lashed down on Tokyo Bay ahead of a powerful typhoon approaching the city, matches were played under a closed center-court roof.
"It makes no difference to me indoors or out," said seventh seed Wawrinka, who won Olympic doubles gold with Federer in Beijing last year.
"I don't care if Roger is here or not," he added. "I'd be happy to have a friend to go to dinner with, but it's all the same to me."
Wawrinka will play Simon Greul after the German overcame Argentina's Martin Vassallo Arguello 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
