Top-seeded Rainer Schuettler of Germany cruised into the third round of the AIG Japan Open Tuesday, dispatching Japan's Satoshi Iwabuchi 6-0, 6-4 at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum.
Takao Suzuki returns a shot to Germany's Alexander Waske during their first-round match in the Japan Open.
The world No. 8, who received a first-round bye, had too many weapons for an overmatched Iwabuchi, ranked 238th by the ATP.
U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick of the United States was to have been seeded No. 1 here, but was forced to withdraw from the event last week with an injured hamstring.
"I got off to a good start and put him under pressure," said the 27-year-old Schuettler, who was the losing finalist at January's Australian Open. "He had to take some risks and that forced him to make some mistakes."
In women's play Tuesday, 16-year-old Russian Maria Sharapova, seeded fifth, advanced to the second round with a quick 6-2, 6-0 victory over South Korea's Kim Jin Hee.
"I'm just getting some more experience and learning from my mistakes," said Sharapova, currently ranked 48th in the world.
In other women's first-round action, defending champion Jill Craybas of the United States knocked off Japan's Saori Obata 6-4, 6-2, Japan's Yuka Yoshida beat Angelique Widjaja of Indonesia 6-4, 7-5, and fourth-seeded Shinobu Asagoe of Japan made quick work of China's Li Ting 6-1, 6-1.
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