Ivanisevic out in first round at Monte Carlo
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-20 09:02

Goran Ivanisevic lost in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Monday to a qualifier who's just 235th in the ATP Tour rankings.

Nicolas Devilder of France upset the 2001 Wimbledon champion 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 at the clay-court tournament. It's Devilder's first victory at a Tennis Masters Series event.

Monte Carlo lost other top players Monday: U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, James Blake and Mardy Fish withdrew, while three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten was eliminated. Top-ranked Roger Federer and Andre Agassi pulled out earlier.

Kuerten, who won the title here in 1999 and 2001, was beaten 7-6 (3), 6-3 by Rainer Schuettler, a loser in seven of his eight previous opening matches this season.

"It's a lot to do with confidence and motivation," Kuerten said. "It's tough for me to get going in the early rounds. I play very well normally towards the end."

Seeded players exiting early included: No. 11 Sjeng Schalken, No. 12 Jiri Novak and No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez. Agustin Calleri beat Schalken 6-1, 6-3, Taylor Dent eliminated Novak 6-4, 7-5, and Max Mirnyi defeated Gonzalez 6-4, 6-3.

In other action, third-seeded Guillermo Coria, the runner-up last year, breezed past Thomas Enqvist 6-0, 6-1 in just 48 minutes, while Tim Henman needed nearly three hours to beat Vince Spadea 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5).

"Vince is a little frustrating to play against," said Henman, who made 63 unforced errors. "His shots don't always look as orthodox as others, but they're effective. Playing a tough opponent like Vince is good for me."

Spadea's wild antics and shouting at the umpire earned a point deduction, putting the American down 2-0 in the final tiebreaker.

"I didn't hear him say anything," Henman said. "Perhaps (the umpire) was lip-reading."

Also, Felix Mantilla beat 2002 French Open champion Albert Costa 6-4, 7-5, Nicolas Kiefer defeated Hicham Arazi, and Ivan Ljubicic got past Tommy Robredo.

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