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DELRAY BEACH, Florida: Argentina’s Diego Hartfield surprised
second-seeded German Tommy Haas 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 Monday in the opening
round of the ATP Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.
Hartfield, playing here for the first time,
converted five of his 17 break point opportunities to hand Haas a
defeat in the German’s first outing of 2008.
He needed just one hour 55 minutes to send the
2006 Delray Beach champion packing.
“I’m very happy,” said Hartfield, who
claimed the first hardcourt match of his career in five attempts.
“I always knew I could play good on hard courts. I was practicing
in Buenos Aires on hard courts before Australia and I was playing
good.”
Haas, who had shoulder surgery in November, has
seen his ranking fall from a year-end No. 12 to No. 27 after missing
the first six weeks of the year.
He spent 22 weeks inside the top 10 last year as
he won the title in Memphis and reached the Australian Open
semifinals and US Open quarterfinals.
“Overall [the shoulder] feels good,” said
Haas. “It’s my first test. Unfortunately the shoulder went away
a bit at the end of the second set. I didn’t have the pop anymore.
I didn’t really have any pain, just no power.”
-- AFP
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