Kuerten sent packing

MELBOURNE, Jan 18: Gustavo Kuerten lost a five-set baseline battle with Spaniard Albert Portas today to become the Australian Open's biggest early casualty as injured champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov limped into the second round, reports Reuters.

Kuerten, the 1997 French Open champion, has a meagre record in Melbourne and wilted as counter-puncher Portas fought back to score a 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 win on a sweltering show court number two at Melbourne Park.

Second seed Kafelnikov needed courtside treatment for a groin strain and back pain before he completed an "ugly" 6-7 (4-7) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win over Germany's Jens Knippschild on Centre Court.

Temperatures hovered well above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) before a brief rain shower delayed the appearance of women's number one Martina Hingis.

But Kuerten's loss overshadowed the other matches and the Brazilian was in a dark mood after he joined sixth seed and 1999 finalist Thomas Enqvist and 14th seed Karol Kucera on the list of first round casualties.

"There is no good points for this loss, it's just a bad thing," said fifth-seeded Kuerten, who was unable to convert three match points in the fourth set tie-breaker.

Kuerten also lost in the first round of a warm-up event in Sydney last week and has not made it past the second round in Melbourne in the past four years.

He seemed to have put the Sydney setback behind him when he took the first two sets comfortably before Portas, ranked a lowly 90 in the world, rallied in the third set.

Portas fought off a break point in the fourth set to force the tie-breaker, which he hung on tenaciously to win 10-8.

The Spanish baseliner then grabbed a crucial break of serve in the ninth game of the final set before serving out one of the biggest wins of his modest career.

"At the beginning of the match I didn't think I could win," Portas said through an interpreter.

"After the third set, I thought 'okay, anything is possible,' and after the fourth set I thought I could win," he said.

Kafelnikov beat Enqvist in last year's Open final for his second Grand Slam title and his return to Centre Court was a painful one.

A physiotherapist bandaged the tall Russian's groin and massaged his lower back between the second and third sets of his 150-minute slugfest against Knippschild.

"It wasn't a pretty match. In fact, it was an ugly match," Kafelnikov said.

Fourth seed Nicolas Kiefer of Germany also struggled early before snapping into rhythm for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over little-known Argentinian Guillermo Canas.

Kiefer won three titles last year and is seen by some bookmakers as a good outside bet on Melbourne Park's lightning quick courts.

No 3 Pete Sampras, No 9 Richard Krajicek and No 16 Mark Philippoussis all won their first round matches Monday.

Michael Chang, runner-up here and at the US Open in 1996, lost 6-4, 6-4, 7-6.