© Mike Baz
Fifth seed Xavier Malisse was leading Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 2-2 when he injured his right wrist and was forced to retire from the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships on Monday. The Belgian, a two-time title winner on the ATP circuit this year, went to a local Memphis hospital after the match for examination.
“I hit a backhand and kind of snapped my wrist a little bit," Malisse said. "It started hurting pretty bad on the next shot; I could barely hit a backhand. I took a timeout and it didn’t get better. I think I just kind of snapped something. I’ve got to see what it is. I hope it’s not too bad but today it’s not possible to play on because I couldn’t hold my racquet.”
Fast-rising Russian Evgeny Korolev, who last week celebrated his 19th birthday, stunned eighth seed Robby Ginepri 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3.
American qualifier Jesse Witten raced through the first set of his match against sixth seed Jurgen Melzer before the Austrian steadied to win 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). Melzer later paid tribute to the performance of the 24-year-old Floridian.
"He's a good player," Melzer said. "I finally got a little bit into the game and was a little more aggressive. In the first set I wasn't playing as aggressive as I'm used to but I pulled it off. The thing was I don't know him very well and I thought while his backhand is solid his forehand is huge, he can miss. But I think he didn't miss three forehands the whole match. I'm glad I got through and that's the most important thing."
About Our Title Sponsor
Regions and Morgan Keegan are proud to serve as title sponsor for the third year of this prestigious event that brings world-class tennis to Memphis -- also home to Morgan Keegan's headquarters and more than 2,500 Regions associates. A longtime supporter of the tournament, Morgan Keegan & Company is the securities brokerage and asset management subsidiary of Birmingham, Ala-based Regions Financial Corporation, one of the nation's top 10 financial services providers. Regions operates 2,000 bank branches, a 2,800-ATM network, and 325 Morgan Keegan offices in 16 states throughout the South, Midwest and Texas.
About Cellular South
Cellular South is the largest privately held wireless provider in the U.S. The company is focused on providing the best service possible through its nationwide wireless voice and data network, award-winning customer care, state-of-the-art wireless devices, and commitment to the communities it serves. Cellular South was recently honored with the 2006 Newcomer Award for technical innovation and ardent community service and involvement, the 2005 Wireless Week Excellence Award, the 2006 Mississippi Better Business Bureau Integrity Award and a concurrent resolution from the Mississippi Legislature commending the executives and employees of Cellular South for the company's extraordinary efforts in Hurricane Katrina's wake. For more information, visit www.cellularsouth.com
