Rusedski breaks losing streak, Schnyder out

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, Aug 22 (Reuters) Former US Open runner-up Greg Rusedski won his first match in three months when he beat Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 6-7 6-2 to reach the second round of the New Haven ATP tournament.

Rusedski, who has dropped out of the world's top 100 after missing six weeks due to a hip injury, will next play Finnish fourth seed Jarkko Nieminen.

In a serve-dominated match of few rallies, yesterdau Briton Rusedski recovered from a break down to take the first set on a tiebreak but then missed two match points in the second-set tiebreak as Karlovic, the world number 69, levelled.

Rusedski shrugged off the disappointment, however, breaking twice in the third set to clinch victory.

''It's always pleasing to get a win,'' Rusedski told reporters, adding that he had feared the worst when Karlovic won the second set.

''He hit one unbelievable return on his backhand and then a big forehand, and I was thinking, okay, we're probably going to have to play a tiebreak, so let's just start there,'' he said.

''But the key was I got the early break (in the third). With us you know that one break is probably going to be the set.'' Rusedski said he was still not 100 percent fit.

''It doesn't feel too bad. But it will be good to have back to back matches to test it out because I have not had to come back the second day before.'' American Mardy Fish continued his return to form after injury by brushing aside Italian Davide Sanguinetti 6-3 6-3 and American teenager Sam Querrey repaid tournament organisers for his wild card by beating Spaniard Alberto Martin 6-3 6-2.

Fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, the former US Open champion, overcame a slow start to beat American Jill Craybas 6-7 6-1 6-1 in the evening match.

But Swiss Patty Schnyder, the sixth seed, suffered a shock defeat in the first round when she was beaten 6-1 6-3 by Sun Tian-tian of China.

Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy was forced to retire with a thigh injury when leading Australian Samantha Stosur 6-4 2-5 and Italian Francesca Schiavone and Marion Bartoli of France also advanced.

REUTERS PDS VC0934