Nieminen welcomes Djokovic junior to ATP with crushing win

 The 17-year-old Djokovic Jr, gained entry as a wild card thanks to the pull of his elder brother, the top seed playing the event for only the second time,

   It was the first ATP-level match for the youngster, more famously known for cheering his sibling on in the family box at Grand Slams.

 But the debut was short and bitter for the 1,794th-ranked Marko Djokovic as he went down at the hands of the seasoned pro.

 Nieminen came out of the blocks fast, breaking the rookie five times and moving efficiently into the second round for a date against Nicolas Mahut, who booked his spot at the Impact arena on Tuesday's opening day.

 Second-seeded Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced as he continued his comeback after three months away with a knee injury, battling past Czech Lukas Dlouhy 7-6 (11-9), 3-6, 7-6 (7-1).

 Also moving through after a bye was number four Gael Monfils of France a winner over American Robert Kendrick 6-4, 6-4.

 Tsonga, the Australian Open finalist against Djokovic last January, missed out from late May until the US Open after undergoing knee surgery.

 Following the operation, he returned at Flushing Meadows with a third-round showing and remains in contention for a place in the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, standing 18th in the points race.

 "It was a difficult match, I didn't play my best," said Tsonga. "But the important thing was to win."

   French compatriot Fabrice Santoro lost a tight decision to Serb Viktor Troicki, going out in the first round 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

 The 35-year-old Santoro is looming to cut down his career and said he will play a vastly reduced schedule in 2009.

 "I will play some events, but it's getting tougher and tougher to play. Playing the matches is not tough, it's the training and the travelling."

   Santoro missed on a set point in the opener against Troicki, who lost the Washington final last month to Argentine Juan Del Potro.

 "I had confidence at 5-4, but two passing shots and he was back," said Santoro, who now stands 17-18 this season. He has now lost three straight times in the first round since winning a grass title in Newport last July.

 In another first-round result Italy's Simone Bolelli beat Tomaz Bellucci of Brazil 6-3, 6-3 and next plays third seed Tomas Berdych.

DPA