BBC SPORT | Tennis | Nalbandian swept aside

First round results

David Nalbandian was beaten by Andrei Pavel as the rain-delayed Swiss Open first round was completed on Wednesday.

The suprise Wimbledon finalist was beaten 7-5 6-3 by the fourth-seeded Pavel despite being back on his favoured clay surface.

Romanian Pavel now faces local hope Marc Rosset in the second round.

On Tuesday, French Open champion Albert Costa suffered defeat on his return to tennis four weeks after his Roland Garros triumph.

Costa, the top seed, chose to miss Wimbledon as he had already booked his honeymoon but he failed to shake off the rust in his first-round match in Gstaad, going down 4-6 3-6 to qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu.

The Spaniard won the tournament in 1996 and 1999.

Frenchman Mathieu made his name at the French Open by taking Andre Agassi to five sets, and continued that clay-court form against Costa.

Roger Federer
Federer finally broke his duck in Gstaad

There was better news for third seed Roger Federer who won his first match in five attempts at the Swiss Open, downing Morocco's Hicham Arazi 6-4 6-3.

Federer, 20, made his professional debut in the Gstaad clay tournament in 1998 but has never got beyond the first round despite playing on home soil.

The win over a tricky opponent also allows Federer to put behind him memories of his shock first-round defeat at Wimbledon where he was thrashed by Croatia's Mario Ancic.

The third seed next faces Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek, who defeated Spaniard Francisco Clavet 6-3 6-3.

Two of the players who had surprising runs at Wimbledon were upset on the red clay of Gstaad.

George Bastl, who defeated seven-times champion Pete Sampras to reach the third round at Wimbledon, crashed out to compatriot Marc Rosset 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 3-6.

And quarter-finalist Nicolas Lapentti lost in three sets to Hungary's Attila Savolt, 5-7 6-1 5-7.

Tuesday's results from the Swiss Open in Gstaad:

R Federer (Swi) (3) bt H Arazi (Mor) 6-4 6-3
G Gaudio (Arg) (7) bt F Squillari (Arg) 2-6 6-1 6-4
R Stepanek (Cze) bt F Clavet (Spa) 6-3 6-3
M Rosset (Swi) bt G Bastl (Swi) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-3
P-H Mathieu (Fra) bt A Costa (Spa) (1) 6-4 6-3
A Savolt (Hun) bt N Lapentti (Ecu) (6) 7-5 1-6 7-5


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