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Hewitt, Ferrero and Kafelnikov crash in Rome
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Updated: 2002-05-09 10:47
World number one Lleyton Hewitt was humbled by former French Open champion Carlos Moya 6-3 6-2 in the second round of the Rome Masters on Wednesday.
The Australian never looked comfortable on the damp surface and Moya, who reached the final of the Monte Carlo Open last month, took full advantage.
Hewitt let his frustration get the better of him in the second set and earned a code violation after one angry outburst. He was then given a point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct in a disagreement with umpire Carlos Bernardes.
Defending champion and third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero was another big name to fall on a rain-hit day in the Italian capital, crashing 7-5 6-2 to Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic.
Fourth seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov's poor form continued when he was beaten 6-4 4-6 6-2 by his doubles partner Wayne Ferreira.
Kafelnikov and the lanky South African are regular partners and are playing as a team in Rome, but Ferreira was happy to take advantage of the Russian's slump in form.
In his last seven tournaments Kafelnikov has won just two matches, including his first-round win over Franco Squillari on Monday.
Ninth seed Andre Agassi had a happier time on the red clay taking just 43 minutes to despatch Swiss Michel Kratochvil 6-0 6-1 in his second-round match.
The American was in blistering form despite slow and damp playing conditions. He was on court for 39 minutes before surrendering a game.
Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, seeded 10th, joined Agassi in the third round but his win could not have been more different.
Grosjean had a torrid time against 20-year-old David Nalbandian, saving three match points with Nalbandian serving at 5-4 in the third set. The Argentine's nerve failed him at the crucial moment though and allowed Grosjean to mount a comeback.
In-form American teenager Andy Roddick overcame dangerous Romanian Andrei Pavel to earn his place in the third round. Roddick clawed his way back from a dismal first set to beat Pavel 1-6 6-4 6-3 in their rain-delayed match.
Play was held up until just before 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) by heavy rain and for much of the match Roddick and Pavel played in drizzle.
Pavel was unstoppable in the opening stages, racing to a 5-0 lead before Roddick began to turn the match around.
The 19-year-old American broke at the end of the second set and from then on looked the more likely winner as Pavel's challenge faded.
Roddick, who won a claycourt title two weeks ago in Houston, said he was satisfied with the win but did not rate his chances of securing his first Masters Series title in Rome.
"My ambitions and expectations were to get through the first two rounds, so we'll see," he said.
"I just want to stay healthy and play well and maybe try to win tomorrow."
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