• ATP Tour

Berdych survives Davydenko scare

Tomas Berdych faced match point on his own serve against Nikolay Davydenko © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Lendl: Murray just needs time on clay
  
• News: Nadal not thinking about French Open
  
• News: Wimbledon to put roof on No. 1 Court
  
• Profile: Tomas Berdych | Nikolay Davydenko | Rafael Nadal | Bernard Tomic

Tomas Berdych fought back from match point down to defeat Nikolay Davydenko 3-6 7-5 6-4 and book his place in the third round of the Barcelona Open.

Berdych arrived as the No. 3 seed but with a 2-9 head-to-head record against the Russian world No. 41, who got off to the perfect start on the Spanish clay with two unanswered breaks clinching the first set.

Berdych responded with a break of his own early in the second set, only for Davydenko to break back and move within a point of victory at 5-4. But Berdych clung on, holding serve before breaking to lead 6-5 and taking the match into a final set.

Both men struggled to hold serve at the start of the third, trading two breaks apiece before the Czech grabbed the vital third, holding on to serve out the victory in two and a half hours.

No. 8 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber found the going even tougher against Andrey Kuznetsov, the German pushed to a final set tie-break before finally seeing off the Russian 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(2) in a match that broke the two-and-a-half-hour mark.

Bernard Tomic jump-started his French Open preparations with a hard-fought first-round win over qualifier Kenny de Schepper.

The world No. 47, who was dumped out of last week's Monte Carlo Masters by Alexandr Dolgopolov in an hour, saw off the Frenchman 6-4 4-6 6-2 to set up a second-round showdown with Argentina's Juan Monaco.

There was better news for qualifier Ernests Gulbis as the Latvian, who made headlines in Monte Carlo for his hot-headed antics in his defeat against Monaco, ousted No. 12 seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-4 in their second-round match.

Carlos Berlocq will face defending champion Rafael Nadal after the Argentine beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-5 6-4 to earn a shot at the second seed.

Tommy Robredo booked his place in the second round with a 2-6 6-2 6-2 comeback win over fellow Spaniard Marc Lopez, while Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Blaz Kavcic are also through.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.