Bastl out in Hong Kong

Switzerland's George Bastl has crashed out of the Hong Kong Open. He lost in the first round to Nicolas Kiefer in straight sets.

Kiefer, who had himself lost in the first round at the Sydney Olympic tournament after pulling a leg muscle, beat Bastl 6-2 6-4.

The third-seeded German appeared to be back on form, but he admitted the match against the Swiss athlete hadn’t been straight forward.

“It wasn’t as easy as you might think,” said Kiefer, “It was the first time I have played in some while, but I was playing better and better and I am happy to win.”

Meanwhile, there has been far more success on the women’s front for Swiss tennis players. Patty Schnyder beat Ruxandra Rugomir of Russia in the first round of the WTA event in the German city of Filderstadt.

Schnyder defeated her opponent in straight sets, 6-3 6-4.

In the doubles side of the tournament, Martina Hingis and her Russian partner, Anna Kournikova, are also through to the second round.

They beat the American-Dutch duo, Nicole Arendt and Manon Bollegraf, 6-3 6-4 in the opening round of the $535,000 tournament.

swissinfo with agencies