Tennis: Top seeds are ready to rumble

Adrian Mannarino (France) goes hard against Argentina's Juan Monaco at the men's Open in Auckland yesterday. Photo / Dean Purcell

The big guns - and in defending champion John Isner's case, very big guns - are about to come out to play at the Heineken Open in Auckland.

After sitting out the first round with byes, Isner, the third seed, and fellow top seeds David Ferrer (1), Nicolas Almagro (2) and Albert Montanes (4) will take their tournament bows today.

With just one seed - Argentinian Juan Monaco - failing to negotiate his opening match, the second round shapes as an intriguing series of battles. There will be casualties.

Certainly there were no additional free passes into the tournament's second phase. Top drawcard David Nalbandian went through in straight sets but was given a tough workout by Italian Fabio Fognini.

The former Wimbledon finalist took the first set in a tiebreaker but his frustration at being unable to quickly finish off the Italian was evident as he threw his racket around in a fluctuating fourth game of the second set.

"You always get upset, frustrated," Nalbandian said. "But the match is still going so you have to keep going. I know that I missed a lot of chances but it is part of the game. He played good on some points too. It is not easy. Tennis right now is very, very tough."

Fognini eventually held serve in that game but the Italian also struggled to contain his emotions as both players disputed a number of line calls. Fognini eventually blew up on serve in the final game to go down 6-4.

Nalbandian's second round opponent, Phillipp Petzsner, needed a third-set tiebreak to subdue young Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker on court four.

The fiery Argentinian hasn't faced Petzsner but rated him as a dangerous opponent.

"He has a good serve and forehand so I'll try to keep him on the backhand side. It is going to be tough."

Nicolas Almagro, the second seed who won few friends in Auckland with his meek showing last year, takes on big-serving Romanian Victor Hanescu in the opening match on centre court.

Hanescu out-duelled South African Kevin Anderson in three sets to book his second-round spot.

Top seed David Ferrer then takes on German Tobias Kamke, followed by Nalbandian v Petzschner.

Isner will make a belated entry into the tournament as the headline act of the night session against either Robin Haase or Pablo Cuevas.

Having followed his Auckland title with three unsuccessful ATP final appearances, Isner is happy to be back in a city in which he has compiled a 10-1 record over the last two seasons.

He lost his only meeting with Haas in Switzerland last year and has not faced Cuevas, but Isner is confident of turning in another strong performance.

"It's the first time that I've ever come back to defend a title but also I'm really comfortable here. I just love it. I anticipate myself playing well and if I do that I am going to give myself a good shot."

Three seeds - Montanes (4), Thomaz Bellucci (7) and Philipp Kohlschreiber (8) - have been relegated to the outside courts.