Australian Wayne Arthurs almost paid the price for not eating enough, but 19-year-old American Phil Simmonds found he had bitten off more than he could chew in his ATP main draw debut. The 34-year-old Aussie Davis Cup veteran rallied to beat Simmonds 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 here Monday in an opening-round match at the 600,000-dollar Washington Classic.
Another 19-year-old making his ATP debut, Aussie Robert Smeets, also threatened to reach the second round at the hardcourt event but South African Wesley Moodie outlasted the 271st-ranked Dutch-born qualifer 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Moodie booked a second-round date Tuesday against British third seed Tim Henman, who won here in 2003 but skipped last year to play in the Olympics.
Smeets will learn Tuesday if he achieved his goal of reaching the US Open qualifying tournament.
Failure will mean an early trip home to Brisbane to see his mother and two sisters for the first time in a year and his dad for the first time in three months. Smeets will gladly delay the half-a-world journey to play in New York.
Arthurs is bouncing back from Australia's 4-1 Davis Cup semi-final loss to Argentina last month and from a lack of work while attending the wedding of third-ranked Cup team-mate Lleyton Hewitt.
Arthurs said the Cup was less draining on his body than his mind.
While many Aussie tennis fans are looking for the next rising star, Arthurs made it clear that the changing of the guard is not yet at hand.
Ecuador's Giovanni Lapentti will face US top seed Andy Roddick on Tuesday after beating France's Nicolas Mahut 6-2, 6-3.
American Paul Goldstein beat Colombia's Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-2 to reach a Wednesday match against Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan.
American James Blake beat France's Jean-Rene Lisnard 6-4, 6-3 while Czech Jan Hernych ousted British qualifier Jamie Delgado by the same score.
(FIRST ROUND): Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) bt Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-2, 6-3; Alexander Popp (GER) bt Bjorn Phau (GER) 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-3; Paul Goldstein (USA) bt Alejandro Falla (COL) 6-3, 6-2; Wesley Moodie (RSA) bt Robert Smeets (AUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4); Wayne Arthurs (AUS) bt Phil Simmonds (USA) 0-6, 6-3, 6-1; James Blake (USA) bt Jean-Rene Lisnard (FRA) 6-4, 6-3; Jan Hernych (CZE) bt Jamie Delgado (GBR) 6-4, 6-3; Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Kenneth Carlsen (DEN) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3; Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) bt Jeff Morrison (USA) 6-3, 6-4.