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Your support makes all the difference.Richard Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon champion who has been ranked in the top 10 in three of the last four years, beat Bohdan Ulihrach 6-4, 6-1 in the second round of the Hamlet Cup in Commack, New York.
Richard Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon champion who has been ranked in the top 10 in three of the last four years, beat Bohdan Ulihrach 6-4, 6-1 in the second round of the Hamlet Cup in Commack, New York.
Krajicek, 28, lost to Ulihrach in the second round of this U.S. Open hardcourt tuneup last year.
"That defeat crossed my mind when I walked on to the court," Krajicek said after the game on Tuesday, "but it disappeared very quickly when I got the early jump on him.
"Still, my game was a bit unsteady. My timing was off and I had some early mis-hits. No question, I needed the win since I was coming in here after being eliminated in the third and first rounds of my last two tournaments.
"I'm unseeded in the U.S. Open, but I still think I can go far because I'm mentally and physically ready. However, the draw will tell a lot."
In a first-round match Tuesday, Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden, who has been struggling ever since achieving a career-best No. 4 world ranking in 1997, beat Max Miryni of Belarus, 6-3, 6-2.
Bjorkman now plays countryman Magnus Norman, the top seed and defending champion, on Wednesday.
"The last 18 months I've had too many first-round losses," Bjorkman, 28, said. "What I have to do is regain my consistency. I was in complete control today, but the Norman match will be a real test."
Norman hold a 2-1 edge in their career meetings.
Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia, who fell to No. 62 in the world last year after being in the top 20 for the previous nine years, withdrew from the tournament because of an injury to his left rotator cuff. X-rays will be taken to determine if there is a tear.
Ivanisevic, a three-time runner-up at Wimbledon, was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Jiri Vanak of the Czech Republic.
Results from the $415,200 Hamlet Cup ATP Tour hard-court tournament:
Singles - First Round
George Bastl, Switzerland, def. David Prinosil, Germany, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Fernando Meligeni, Brazil, def. Vince Spadea, United States, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. Jonas Bjorkman, Sweden, def. Max Mirnyi, Belarus, 6-3, 6-2.
Second Round
Juan Carlos Ferrero (6), Spain, def. Alexander Popp, Germany, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Eric Taino, United States, def. Karim Alami (16), Morocco, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Richard Krajicek (11), Netherlands, def. Bohdan Ulihrach, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-1. Fabrice Santoro (12), France, def. Francisco Clavet, Spain, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Patrick Rafter (7), Australia, def. Stefan Koubek, Austria, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (8). Younes El Aynaoui (8), Morocco, def. Gianluca Pozzi, Italy, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Doubles - First Round
Pablo Albano and Lucas Arnold, Argentina, def. Marius Barnard and Robbie Koenig, South Africa, 7-5, 6-1. Jonathan Stark, United States, and Kevin Ullyett, Zimbabwe, def. Tomas Carbonell, Spain, and David Prinosil (3), Germany, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5). Martin Damm, Czech Republic, and Dominik Hrbaty (2), Slovakia, def. Massimo Bertolini and Cristian Brandi, Italy, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
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