Tommy Robredo proved size is not everything in tennis, cutting towering American John Isner down to size to give Spain victory in their opening Hopman Cup encounter Sunday. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez put the two-time champion ahead with a 6-4, 6-4 win over teenager Melanie Oudin, and Robredo beat the 6-foot-9 (2.06m) Isner 6-7, 6-3, 7-6. The Spaniards then teamed up to win the mixed doubles 6-4, 7-5 to complete a 3-0 whitewash. Isner smashed down 16 aces but Robredo's greater all-round ability eventually proved the difference between the two. Experience and variety were the key factors as Martinez Sanchez saw off 18-year-old Oudin, a quarterfinalist at the US Open in September. Oudin was guilty of making too many mistakes on her forehand and Martinez Sanchez took full advantage. Clijsters wins Belgium's Kim Clijsters opened the New Year in the best possible style when she overpowered Italian Tathiana Garbin 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the Brisbane International Sunday. Despite a nervous start to the match when she lost her serve in the opening game, the reigning US Open champion quickly found her form to overcome Garbin in just 53 minutes. Clijsters will face Australia's own comeback queen Alicia Molik, who beat Russia's Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Andrea Petkovic of Germany caused the only upset on a rain-affected first day when she beat eighth seeded Czech Iveta Benesova 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 6-1. Seventh seeded Hungarian Melinda Czink narrowly avoided a similar fate, beating Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Other first round winners were Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic, who beat Belarusian Olga Govortsova 6-4, 6-1 and American Vania King, who downed Sybille Bammer of Austria by the same scoreline. The men's matches were washed out and have been rescheduled to Monday. Soderling, Cilic set for India's ATP event World No. 8 Robin Soderling and defending champion Marin Cilic will prepare for the tough season ahead at the 400,000-dollar ATP Chennai Open starting Monday. The Swede is the top seed at the Chennai event, regarded as a warm-up for the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on Jan. 18. The 25-year-old starts his campaign against 100th-ranked American Robby Ginepri. Second-seed Cilic won the Chennai and Zagreb titles in a superb start last year, before enduring a mid-season slump and finished 2009 ranked 14th. Cilic, who won the Chennai Open last year by beating Indian wildcard Somdev Devvarman in the final, plays Russian Igor Kunitsyn in the first round. Others to be seen in action are fourth seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, German veteran Rainer Schuettler, Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland and Spanish veteran Carlos Moya.
