Robredo, Dementieva advance at New Haven tennis

FE Team | Published: August 22, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

NEW HAVEN, United States, Aug 21 (AFP): High seeds Tommy Robredo and Elena Dementieva posted victories here on Monday before rain halted play at the US Open tune-up for both the ATP and WTA players.
The second-seeded Spaniard Robredo withstood a late surge from Frenchman Marc Gicquel to post a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over his opponent at the 675,000-dollar hard-court event.
"I played well enough to win," Robredo said. "We had pretty good rallies. I knew he likes to play fast. I just let him miss more. I mixed it well, but didn't have to go for too much."
The Frenchman tried to rein Robredo in, coming back in the second set to take a 4-2 lead but in vain as the Spaniard finished the job in commanding fashion, reeling off the last four games.
The 25-year-old Robredo, ranked seventh, is only playing his third tune-up tournament before the US Open, which starts next Monday. He spent his entire summer on the European red-clay.
"We Europeans love to play on clay," he said. "I came straight to Montreal. Everything was so fast. Then I played in Cincinnati.
"I didn't play well there. I didn't want to be in the States doing nothing. If you go to New York, it's nice. You're in the city. You feel the atmosphere.
"But you just practice and practice. It's not the same as playing matches. I felt like playing here would be nice for my preparation."
Also on Sunday, American Mardy Fish outlasted Italian seventh-seeded Filippo Volandri 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-0 while fellow-compatriot Vincent Spadea edged Evgeny Korolev 6-2, 5-7, 7-5.