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Djokovic stunned in Miami opener

Fri 28th, March 2008

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Fresh off his big title at Indian Wells, defending Miami champion Novak Djokovic was a stunning second-round loser at the hands of 6-foot-7 South African qualifier Kevin Anderson Friday at the $3.77 million Sony Ericsson Open -- the second of nine ATP Masters Series events this year.

The 21-year-old Anderson shocked the world No. 3 Djokovic 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-4 in 2 hours, 21 minutes on Day 3 at Crandon Park.

The 122nd-ranked Anderson, who starred collegiately at the University of Illinois, reached his first-ever ATP final in Las Vegas just three weeks ago.

Djokovic, who fell to 17-4 this season, beat Argentine Guillermo Canas in last year's Miami finale, becoming the youngest-ever male champion here, at 19 years of age.

The Serbian Djokovic topped American Mardy Fish in last week's lucrative finale at Indian Wells and secured his first Grand Slam title, in Melbourne, back in January.

Top-10 seeds to advance included second-seeded Rafael Nadal, who got past German Benjamin Becker 7-5, 6-2. Additionally, ninth-seeded American star James Blake avoided a big upset by handling Italian Andreas Seppi 7-5, 6-3, and 10th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych handled American Sam Querrey, 6-1, 6-2.

But seventh-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian and eighth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet fell. Nalbandian lost to Belgian Xavier Malisse in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, while Gasquet dropped his match to Russian Dmitry Tursunov in a grueling match. Tursunov won 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-5).

Fifteenth-seeded Argentine Guillermo Canas needed three sets to top American qualifier Sam Warburg, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, while Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, the 17th seed, eased past Pablo Cuevas, 6-3, 6-3. The two will meet in a third- round match.

Meanwhile, 16th-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu overcame Croat Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and 20th-seeded Spaniard Carlos Moya needed a 12-10 tiebreak in the first set to top France's Nicolas Mahut, 7-6, 6-4. Moya and Mathieu will face off in the third round.

In other matches, 22nd-seeded former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero got past fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-2, while mild upsets came when crafty French veteran Fabrice Santoro dismissed 23rd-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3 and German Nicolas Kiefer grounded 25th-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-2. Santoro will meet Blake in the third round, while Kiefer will face Nadal.

Additional second-round wins came for 27th-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek, 31st- seeded Russian Igor Andreev, and 32nd-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. Stepanek handled French veteran Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-3.

All 32 seeds here received opening-round byes.

The 2008 Miami winner will claim $590,000.