AFP/Rome


Jeremy Chardy beat Robin Haase 6-4, 6-4 yesterday at the Italian Open to book a second round meeting with Roger Federer - should the new father of twins choose to play the event.
France’s Chardy, ranked 49th to Federer’s fourth, has already been beaten by the Swiss this season as Federer won their January semi-final in Brisbane. Against Haase, Chardy rifled over nine aces without a double-fault, breaking four times in a win lasting just under 90 minutes.
Federer will make a last-minute decision as to his participation at the Foro Italico after wife Mirka Vavrinec gave birth to the couple’s second set of twins last Tuesday. “I’m hoping that maybe since he now has four kids, he might be a little tired,” joked Chardy, who reached the third round a year ago.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner, who lost Foro Italico finals in 2003, 2006 and last year to Rafael Nadal, is said to be ready to compete for sure at the French Open from May 25.
Elsewhere on opening day, Czech veteran Radek Stepanek mounted a fightback to reach the second round, beating Spain’s Pablo Andujar 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 while Mikail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan put out Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3.
John Isner was a first-round casualty after the The ninth seed missed his chance in the first set against Austrian Jurgen Melzer and went down 7-6 (9/7) 6-3.
With Sam Querrey’s defeat in qualifying, there are now no American men left in the singles tournament.
Sixteenth seed Tommy Robredo did make it through to the second round, edging Argentina’s Juan Monaco 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 while Jerzy Janowicz’s miserable season continued with a 4-6 7-6 (8/6) 6-2 defeat by Philipp Kohlschreiber.