Australian Andrew Ilie led the way as three seeds advanced into the second round of the ATP$400,000 US Claycourt Championships in Texas yesterday.
Former president George Bush watched Ilie, the second seed, have little difficulty in beating Lars Burgsmuller of Germany, 6-3, 7-5.
Sweden's Magnus Gustafsson, the fifth seed, cruised by 1996 champion Fernando Meligeni of Brazil, 6-0, 6-2.
Gustafsson has won 14 titles, with most on clay, but he is just 7-6 this season. His best performance this year was a quarterfinal appearance atCopenhagen in February.
The eighth seed Hyung-Taik Lee of Korea had a comfortable 6-4, 6-1 win over Russia's Andrei Stoliarov. Lee reached the quarterfinals in Atlantaand is hoping to go further in this tournament.
In other results, Andrea Gaudenzi of Italy defeated 19-year-old American Mardy Fish, 6-4, 6-4, while Germany's Alexander Popp beat Chris Woodruff ofthe United States, 7-5, 6-3 and Jiri Vanek of the Czech Republic finished strongly to oust American Michael Russell, 7-5, 6-0.
David Sanchez of Spain held off George Bastl of Switzerland, 6-4, 6-4 and Magnus Larsson was stretched to beat Jan Siemerink of the Netherlands, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (13-11).It was Larsson’s first match following rightknee surgery last August.
-AFP