Coria fends off Almagro

Guillermo Coria survived a scare in his opening match at the Hamburg Masters before overcoming Spanish teenager Nicolas Almagro 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Almagro, 18, troubled the Argentine No2 seed for more than two hours.

Coria, returning to action after fitness worries, looked rusty and nervous.

"I didn't know anything about Almagro," the defending champion said. "He certainly played well."

Russia's Marat Safin, twice a finalist, beat Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean 7-6, 7-5.

Tim Henman was scheduled to play Italian qualifier Andreas Seppi today.