Rusedski flops in Monaco

Greg Rusedski failed miserably against Dosedel

Greg Rusedski crashed to defeat in the first round of the Monte Carlo Open, against Slava Dosedel of the Czech Republic.

Rain delayed proceedings and the match was played underneath a closed roof, Dosedel winning 6-4 6-7 6-1.

Rusedski's serve failed to fire from the off, and with his opponent untroubled both at the net and from the baseline, a series of errors gifted him the opener.

Dosedel deserved his victory

A break in the fifth game put Dosedel in front and he refused to relinquish control.

The second set began more brightly for the Briton, but he missed a chance to break in Dosedel's first service game.

Rusedski did manage to creep ahead with a break to 3-1, but a diabolical service game, lost to love and sealed with a lame double fault, brought the set back onto serve.

A series of awkward bounces on the unpredictable surface frustrated the left-hander and he relinquished another service game to leave Dosedel at 5-4 and serving for the match.

But, against the odds, Rusedski levelled at 5-5 before saving one breakpoint to hold and move to within a game of levelling.

Tie-break

The 29-year-old Czech had no difficulty in holding, but fell 2-1 and a break behind in the tie-break, as the first three points all went against serve.

Rusedski moved to 4-2 as the pair exchanged further breaks, and a Dosedel double fault put Rusedski 5-2 up.

A Rusedski forehand went long but he put a volley away safely before Dosedel netted to take the match to a deciding set.

Almost everything went against Rusedski in the decider, with Dosedel claiming victory after two breaks.

An ace was ruled out and a cross-court forehand refused to bounce as the Czech player took the second game to move a break clear.

Rusedski got his name on the scoreboard in the fourth game, but that was to be his only success as Dosedel thrashed a series of ever-more-spectacular winners.

The Czech never looked in any danger of dropping serve and he will now face either Nicolas Escude or Stephane Huet, both Frenchmen, in the last 32.