Rain stifles start in Nice

Qualifying final matches were completed Sunday, but the two main draw matches
on the schedule were postponed.

Xavier Malisse of Belgium had built a lead of 7-5, 1-0 over Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun
Lu when rain halted play. Fifth-seeded Australian Bernard Tomic was slated to
play Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko, but that match never started.

Monday’s action will include both postponed matches from Sunday, as well as
first-round play for Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan and Italy’s Fabio Fognini.
Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko is also on the docket.

Spaniard Nicolas Almagro beat Romanian Victor Hanescu in last year’s Nice
finale. Almagro is seeded third this year, behind American John Isner and
Frenchman Gilles Simon. The top four seeds, including France’s Gael Monfils,
have byes into the second round.

The 2012 Nice titlist will claim $91,000.