Australia's Lleyton Hewitt saved two match points to advance while Swedish defending women's champion Sofia Arvidsson was ousted on Wednesday at the ATP and WTA US Indoor Championships.
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Former World No. 1 Hewitt, a two-time Grand Slam champion, saved two match points on his serve in the 12th game of the second set before defeating South Korean Lu Yen-Hsun 2-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 in a first-round match.
Hewitt, 31, is making his third appearance at the $1.58 million hardcourt event, having lost in the 2009 semi-finals and 2011 quarter-finals, both times falling to now-retired US standout Andy Roddick.
New Zealand's Marina Erakovic, who lost to Arvidsson in last year's Memphis final, avenged that defeat by defeating the second seed 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, in a second-round match.
Also advancing to the women's third round was Belgian top seed Kirsten Flipkens, who eliminated Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
British fourth seed Heather Watson defeated Czech Andrea Hlavackova 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 while German third seed Sabine Lisicki eliminated Hungary's Melinda Czink 7-6 (7/0), 4-6, 6-2.
AFP
