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3/26/09 5:45 AM | Ricky Dimon
Fabrice Santoro defeats qualifier Thomaz Bellucci in three sets on Wednesday afternoon at the Masters Series Miami. Next up for the veteran Frenchman is Nicolas Kiefer.
Fabrice Santoro is 36 years old and retiring at the end of the season, but it's clear that he has plenty left in the tank; at least enough to give a 21-year-old a free tennis lesson.
Santoro split sets with up-and-coming Brazilian Thomas Bellucci, but dominated the third to prevail 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in the first round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Wednesday. The Frenchman needed two hours and 12 minutes to set up a meeting with No. 28 seed Nicolas Kiefer.
Both players served horribly in set one and the result was a whopping five breaks of serve. Santoro's third break of the set finished it off 6-4 and allowed him to start the second frame of play serving. Unfortunately that was to no advantage, and the world No. 50 got broken twice more. This time two breaks were enough for Bellucci, who only gave one of them break.
Even with momentum in hand, however, Bellucci was no match for his elder in the decisive third set. Santoro put in 80 percent of his first serves and lost just four points in four service games. He also toyed with his opponent from all over the court, and Bellucci looked almost hopeless whenever he did not win free points with his first serve. Santoro's second break of the set gave him a 5-1 lead and he promptly closed it out for 6-1 in front of a packed pro-Santoro crowd on Court 1.
Fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra was not as fortunate on Wednesday at the Masters Series Miami. Llodra won the first set off Kevin Kim 6-3, but was forced to retire with a groin injury. Also advancing in Roger Federer's quarter of the draw were Jan Hernych and American qualifier Taylor Dent.
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