Former world number one Marat Safin stumbled out of the Paris Masters when he lost 6-0, 7-6 to Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco in the first round on Monday. In a late match Feliciano Lopez of Spain beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-3, 6-4. The Russian, three-time winner of the Paris indoor tournament, picked up his game too late to unsettle Monaco, who will next meet France's Gael Monfils, seeded 16th. “I didn't take my chances and that's why the score is 6-0, 7-6,” Safin told reporters, adding he was thinking over his future in the game. “I need to sit down and relax and just enjoy my life without any tennis (for) a couple of months and then I will see,” Safin said, adding: “I need to think it through. If I feel like I want to continue to play, I will. If no, it will be over. For the moment, I just need to rest.” Safin lost the first eight games and notably served four double faults in a single game as Monaco cantered through the match. The former US and Australian Open champion got himself together at 2-0 down in the second set, and double faults turned into aces. Safin broke back for 2-2 and both players then held serve until the tiebreak, which Monaco took 7-4 when Safin sent a forehand long. Russian Igor Andreev, ranked 20th in the world, beat France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-6, 6-3 and will take on local favorite and Masters Cup hopeful Gilles Simon in the second-round. Earlier, American Sam Querrey benefited from Marcos Baghdatis' retirement with back pain to set up a second-round meeting with world number four Andy Murray of Britain. “I felt a sharp pain in the back and I did not want to take any risk,” said the Cypriot, who was 5-7, 7-6, 3-2 down when he called for the trainer. Czech Tomas Berdych also reached the second round with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over American Robby Ginepri. Berdych, winner of the Paris indoor tournament in 2005, will next meet Swiss 12th seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who still has an outside chance of grabbing one of the three remaining spots for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai. German Nicolas Kiefer resisted Croatian Ivo Karlovic's 12 aces to win 6-4, 7-5 and set up a second-round encounter with defending champion David Nalbandian, seeded eighth and also looking for a Masters Cup berth. Another Croatian, Marin Cilic, saw off Italy's Andreas Seppi 7-6, 6-2 and will take on Spanish qualifier Marcel Granollers. Roger Federer, who won the Swiss Indoors at Basel for the third straight year on Sunday, confirmed Monday to tournament organizers that he will play at Bercy, despite feeling tired after beating David Nalbandian for his 57th career title. Bammer bounced in Quebec In Canada, American Melanie Oudin upset Austrian second seed Sybille Bammer 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 Monday in a first-round match at the $175,000 WTA Quebec Challenge. Oudin cut short Bammer's bid for her second career WTA title and advanced to face the winner of a later match between Canadian wild card Marie-Eve Pelletier and Russian Olga Puchkova in the second round. Bammer reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal last month at the US Open and also reached the final eight at the Beijing Olympics in August. In other first-round matches, Canadian wild card Valerie Tetreault defeated France's Mathilde Johansson 6-1, 7-5 and American Julie Ditty downed Poland's Urszula Radwanska 7-6 (7-1), 6-2. Jankovic to play in Sydney World number one Jelena Jankovic will headline a strong women's field in the Sydney International in January, organizers said Monday. The Serb, who will end the 2008 season as the WTA Tour's top-ranked player, joins world No. 2 Dinara Safina, No. 3 Serena Williams and Beijing Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva in the January 11 to 17 tournament. – Reuters __
