Simon saves four match points to advance in Madrid; Berdych, Fish also winners

The Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid got off to a exhilarating start on Monday as Frenchman Gilles Simon (pictured) came back from the brink of defeat to beat Russian Igor Andreev. Newly married American Mardy Fish and in-form Czech star Tomas Berdych were also winners.

The 23-year-old Frenchman, who won titles earlier this year in Bucharest, Casablanca and Indianapolis, was able to get past Andreev, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(7), after fighting off four match points while serving down 4-5 in the third set. Simon was also losing 3-5 in the third set tiebreak before eventually winning the match. Simon fired nine aces and won 81 percent of first serve points. Andreev hit six aces, while winning just 73 percent of first serve points and a lousy 13 out of 35 second serve points. With the victory today, Simon improves to 41-22 and will meet No. 11 seed James Blake in the second round. Andreev, who is currently ranked No. 20 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, falls to 40-30 on the season.

Fish, who recently got married to certified attorney and television game show model Stacey Gardner in Beverly Hills, showed no signs of rust, as he cruised to a convincing, 6-1, 6-4, victory over Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis. Fish smashed 13 aces and only one double fault in his opening round victory. The 26-year-old American won 24 out of 25 points on his dominating first serve. Fish broke serve on three of four chances, while the Belgian qualifier was unsuccessful on all four of his break point chances. Fish, a quarterfinalist at this year’s US Open, now improves to 31-21 on the season. Currently ranked No. 25 in the world, Fish next meets No. 15 seed Richard Gasquet. Gasquet beat Fish the only time they faced each other, which was a straight win earlier this year at Wimbledon in the first round.

Berdych, the recent AIG Japan Open champion by defeating Juan Martin Del Potro in the finals, cruised to a very routine, 6-1, 6-2, win over German Rainer Schuettler in 53 minutes. Berdych hammered seven aces and lost only eight points on his serve throughout the match. Berdych broke serve on six of eight chances, while Schuettler broke serve on his lone opportunity. Currently ranked No. 35, Schuettler falls to 19-21 on the year, which includes a semifinal performance at Wimbledon. Berdych, who won his only Masters Series title in 2005 in Paris, earns his 33rd victory of the year and next meets No. 7 seed and defending champion David Nalbandian. Nalbandian owns a 3-1 career record against Berdych, winning most recently in the second round in Madrid last year.

Other winners on Monday included lucky loser Simone Bolelli, Tommy Robredo and Marin Cilic. Getting into the main draw after Marat Safin withdrew with an injury, Bolelli made most of his opportunity by routing local hopeful Nicolas Almagro, 7-6(4), 6-1, in a little over an hour. He next meets No. 4 seed Andy Murray for a place in the third round. Robredo of Spain grinded out a win against Andreas Seppi of Italy, 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3, in two hours and 19 minutes. The Spaniard next meets No. 8 seed Andy Roddick in the second round. Cilic, the New Haven singles champion in August, stayed strong in a, 6-3, 7-5, route over qualifier Olivier Rochus of Belgium. The Croatian rising star smashed 15 aces, while Rochus hit nine double faults throughout the match. Next up for Cilic in the second round is No. 13 seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.