TENNIS ROUNDUP : Reneberg Sticks to His Plan and Takes Out Gilbert

Unseeded Richey Reneberg avoided Brad Gilbert’s ploy to get him to rush the net Monday, defeating the seventh-seeded Gilbert, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round of the U.S. Indoor tennis championship at the Philadelphia Spectrum.

“I played him a bit differently than in the past,” Reneberg said. “When I got out there this time, I sensed he wanted me to come in to the net. I tried not to. I played smart.”

In other first-round matches, eighth-seeded Amos Mansdorf of Israel rallied after the first set to defeat David Wheaton, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Andrei Chesnokov of Russia defeated Patrick McEnroe, 6-2, 6-4; and Renzo Furlan of Italy beat Jaime Yzaga of Peru, 6-2, 6-2.

*

Fourth-seeded Carlos Costa was eliminated in the opening round of the Eurocard Open at Stuttgart, Germany, losing to Magnus Larsson, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 7-6 (8-6).

Eighth-seeded Thomas Muster was also eliminated, losing to Patrik Kuehnen, 6-2, 6-4.

No. 2-seeded Petr Korda of the Czech Republic advanced with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Jordi Arrese of Spain.

*

Nathalie Tauziat, Mary Pierce and Julie Halard, all of France, won first-round matches in the Paris Women’s Open.

Fifth-seeded Tauziat defeated Slovakia’s Karina Habsudova, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4; sixth-seeded Pierce, who lives in the United States, beat Andrea Strnadova of the Czech Republic, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, and seventh-seeded Halard beat Radka Zrubakova of Slovakia, 6-3, 6-1.