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Kohlschreiber upsets Ferrer

—PHOTO: AFP

IN FORM: Gilles Simon got past Igor Andreev in the second round.

PARIS: Argentine defending champion David Nalbandian reached the last 16 of the Paris Masters on Wednesday, defeating German veteran Nicolas Kiefer 7-6(5), 6-3 to book a meeting with compatriot Juan Martin del Potro. And, fifth-seed David Ferrer crashed to a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Philipp Kohlschreiber.

French tenth seed Gilles Simon also advanced to the last 16, where he meets Andy Roddick, by coming back from 0-4 down in the second set to see off Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 7-5.

Though he is in contention for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, Nalbandian has made Davis Cup glory for Argentina his chief target this year; he will play alongside del Potro next month when the South Americans host Nadal’s Spain.

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy crashed out of the doubles draw, falling in straight sets to Brazilians Marcelo Mello and Andre Sa.

Tough match

Despite their common cause for their country the two men will have little room for sentiment here as Nalbandian, while stating he is not worried about missing the boat for the end of season Shanghai Masters Cup, could end del Potro’s own hopes should he win their third-round encounter.

“It’s going to be a tough one — we know each other very well,” said the 26-year-old from Cordoba who lifted the Masters Cup in 2005.

“We just played last week and the week before,” added Nalbandian, in allusion to a del Potro win earlier this month in Madrid and one of his own in Basel.

This year, he effectively has to win in Paris to sneak into the eight-man field and hope other results go his way, whereas Del Potro, who has burst onto the scene this season with four title wins, currently stands seventh and the points obtained from passing another round here could prove decisive.

On Diego Maradona’s appointment as Argentine football manager Nalbandian said: “I just saw the news. I am happy for him but I can’t tell you much. I’m a friend of his.”

The results: At Paris (Paris Masters): Second round: Philipp Kohlschreiber bt David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2; David Nalbandian bt Nicholas Kiefer 7-6(5), 6-3; Marin Cilic bt Marcel Granollers 6-4, 7-6(2); Gilles Simon bt Igor Andreev 6-3, 7-5. Doubles: Marcelo Mello & Andre Sa bt Lukas Dlouhy & Leander Paes 6-3, 6-2.

At Quebec (Bell Challenge): First round: Nadia Petrova bt Maria Mokh 6-1, 6-2; Severine Brémond bt Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-2, 7-6(4); Aleksandra Wozniak bt Edina Gallovits 6-4, 6-3; Olga Govortsova bt Vania King 6-1, 2-6, 6-4;Galina Voskoboeva bt Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-2; Melinda Czink bt Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 5-7, 6-3; Nathalie Dechy bt Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-3, 6-1; Varvara Lepchenko bt Rossana de los Ríos 6-1, 6-3; Carly Gullickson bt Ioana Raluca Olaru 7-6(6), 6-1; Angela Haynes bt Stéphanie Dubois 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. — Agencies

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