General / Editor / 25 April 2007 /

is through to the third round of the Seat Open in Barcelona after a three-set victory over fellow Russian Yuri Schukin.

The 25-year-old took the first set and led by a break in the second before Schukin, ranked 213 places below the world number four, bounced back to send the match into a decider.

The experience of the 2006 US Open semi-finalist helped him through the final set, despite a troublesome shoulder injury, and he eventually ran out a 6-4 3-6 6-2 winner.

The second seed, whose form has dipped in recent weeks, will now meet either Nicolas Almagro of Spain or Italian Filippo Volandri.

World number two and tournament top seed Rafael Nadal begins his defence of the title on Wednesday against Belgian Kristof Vliegen, and is looking to win the event for the third consecutive year.

Nadal is the overwhelming 1.29 favourite to make it a hat-trick of wins in Barcelona ahead of the French Open, starting on 27 May, while Davydenko is unfancied as he is available at 50.

Guillermo Canas is the second favourite at 13.5, while third seed Tommy Robredo, who demolished fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-2 6-2 to become the first man into the third round, is next up in the market at 24.

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