Haas falls in Florida

Tommy Haas crashed out at the opening stage of the Delray Beach event following defeat to Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili.

German shocked in Delray opener

Top seed Tommy Haas crashed out at the opening stage of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships for the third successive year following defeat to unheralded Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili. The German veteran was distinctly out-of-sorts as he succumbed 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 to the world number 104. "He came up with some big shots at the right time," Haas said. "I had my chances, but for some reason I couldn't win the points that maybe would've turned it around for me today. "Maybe I was just a step slow to get to the ball to make something happen. These guys are hitting the ball so big these days you have to be there every single point." The victory for Gabashvili, who has been hampered by health issues over the past year was only the second ATP Tour match he has won since July. Last year's runner-up Evgeny Korolev recovered from a mid-match slump to overcome Nicolas Lapentti 6-2 1-6 6-1. Korolev, the fifth seed, won just six points on serve in the second set but fought back strongly to ensure his progress with an impressive third set. Floridian Wayne Odesnik secured a 6-3 6-2 win over Rajeev Ram despite twisting his ankle early in their match. Odesnik suffered the injury at 3-1 ahead in the opening set although it did not prevent him moving through.