Tommy Haas' comeback from a lengthy injury lay-off took came to another temporary halt on Monday as he went down 6-3, 6-3 at the hands of fellow German Alexander Popp in the first round of the Kroger St. Jude.

Haas, the 25-year-old who captured the title at the Racquet Club in 1999, missed the entire 2003 season after twice undergoing shoulder surgery. The German, who received a wild card into the tournament, made his comeback in San Jose last week, when he lost in the first round to Vincent Spadea.

"It's frustrating," said Haas. "I've just got to take it slowly, probably more slowly than I would have hoped. It's going to take a while to get the fitness back, get the speed about the court, find my game again. It's different from practice.

"The positive thing is that I could play a whole match without pain, but there really weren't too many positives to take from the match tonight."

Popp, a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist making his second appearance in Memphis, said: "Obviously Tommy's been a Top 10 player but he's been away from the game for so long that I didn't know what his level was going to be tonight. It will take him a while to get back, but I was pleased with the way I played."

Popp, who stands at a giant the 6'7", now goes on to meet Thomas Enqvist in the second round, adding: "I've been practicing with Thomas and he's hitting the ball really well. It will be a really tough match."