Soderling cruises,Somdev falters in five

The Swede won the first nine games on Sunday and threatened the humiliation of a rare whitewash before Recouderc discovered some pride and egged on the partisan crowd with a punch to the air as he stopped the rot in game 10.

Recouderc,sporting a shabby grey top and black shorts that gave him the look of a park player,managed four my games before Soderling booked his place in round two after an efficient 94-minute workout.

Also on Sunday,local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga laboured past unheralded German Daniel Brands with a marathon 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-7 7-5 win.

Womens second seed Venus Williams took the first step towards a maiden title here when she outgunned Patty Schnyder 6-3 6-3 in the first round. Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova lost the first six points and the first three games to Sorana Cirstea of Romania before coming back to win 6-3 6-1 Sunday.

Devvarman exits

Meanwhile,Somdev Devvarman fought his heart out before crashing out in a marathon five-set match to Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland. Devvarman lost 6-3 3-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 in three hours and 38 minutes. Devvarman came back twice from a set down to ignite hopes of a win,but a break conceded in the second game of the decider was enough to end those.

In the opening set,the Indian got an early breakpoint and a chance to surge ahead after 1-1,but the world No. 65 Swiss held serve. Devvarman was then broken in the sixth game. The world No. 109 raised his game to several notches in the second set. In the third,the Swiss broke in the fourth game. Devvarman managed yet another comeback in the fourth set,but couldnt pull it through in the end. PTI