Subdued Rafter starts strong at Ericsson

Key Biscayne, Florida - A tough draw and tender shoulder are keeping Patrick Rafter from being too optimistic about his chances in the Ericsson Open.

Rafter, seeking his first tournament title since June, looked impressive Friday night in his opening match, a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Max Mirnyi.

But Rafter is still recovering from rotator cuff surgery last October. The shoulder is slowly improving, he said, but he's wary of getting too excited about his game.

"I try to contain that because I know the next day could be a bad day," he said. "The shoulder is a day-by-day thing. I can wake up and it can be quite sore. If I get a couple of back-to-back matches, that's when I can find it getting sorer and sorer a lot quicker."

Rafter hasn't advanced beyond the third round at Key Biscayne since 1994, and he faces a difficult path to the final this year. As the No 15 seed, he'll face 1999 runner-up Sebastien Grosjean next, and a possible matchup against top seed Andre Agassi looms in the fourth round.

Rafter said early-round matches have become tougher because the ATP Tour now requires all top players to participate in Master Series events, such as the Ericsson.

"It's great how everyone is playing them this year," he said. "It makes it feel like a Grand Slam, so every match is very competitive."

A beard and mustache have changed Rafter's appearance, but against Mirnyi he looked like the same player who won the US Open in 1997 and 1998. His serve was so effective that he won 27 of 30 points on his first serve, and he hit 15 volley winners.

The victory improved Rafter's record to 4-3 since returning from the injury, which sidelined him for six months.

"That's probably as well as I've played," he said. "The more I play, the stronger the shoulder is going to get."

In the completion of a suspended match, Anastasia Myskina of Russia handed 19-year-old American Alexandra Stevenson her fifth loss in a row, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Stevenson, a surprise semifinalist at Wimbledon last year, squandered two match points serving at 5-3 in the second set before rain halted play late on Wednesday. Myskina held a 4-2 lead in the third set when the match resumed 16 1/2 hours later, and she closed out the victory in eight minutes.

Top seed Martina Hingis beat Maureen Drake 6-1, 6-4. No 4 seed Nathalie Tauziat, No 6 Conchita Martinez, No 7 Monica Seles and No 9 Anna Kournikova also won.

In other men's play, 1991 champion Jim Courier beat Argentine qualifier David Nalbandian 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Australian 19-year-old Lleyton Hewitt, seeded 14th, beat Gaston Gaudio 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-3. - Sapa-AP