Stockholm - Andreas Beck became the second German seed to stumble in 24 hours at the Stockholm Open Tuesday, with the number five crashing out in the first round to Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-2. Beck, ranked 37th, joined compatriot Benjamin Becker, a Monday victim of another German, Simon Greul, in an early exit.
Michael Berrer eased the situation for Germany with his defeat of promising Finnish teenager Henri Kontinen, the 2008 junior Wimbledon finalist, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7).
Tomaz Bellucci ofBrazil, title-holder in Gstaad on clay in August, put out Dane Frederik Nielsen 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.
Tournament number two Tommy Haas remains the last German seed in the field with the Florida-based veteran hoping that his shoulder pain from last week in Shanghai will not be a problem.
Haas quit as a precaution in China, handing over a 6-4, second-round win to Rainer Schuettler.
Against Clement, the 2001 Australian Open finalist, Beck lost serve three times in the 76-minute defeat.
Clement had not won a match since the first round of the French Open in late May, losing seven straight through to his last event in Metz a month ago.
The Frenchman's win was his eight of the season against 17 defeats and left Beck, the Gstaad finalist on clay in August, on 22-20.
Beck, the only seed scheduled Tuesday in an event where French Open finalist Robin Soderling heads the field, saved a pair of match points before going down to the inevitable loss.
Haas begins play on Wednesday, facing an opening test against Frenchman Florent Serra. Soderling also starts at mid-week against lucky loser Giovanni Lapentti of Ecuador.
The Swede stands provisional ninth in the race for the two spots remaining in the year-end World Tour Finals in London from November 22 and will be making a run at the two men who head him, Shanghai champion Nikolay Davydenko and Spain's Fernando Verdasco.
Davydenko stands next to enter the eight-player field, which was joined by sixth qualifier Andy Roddick on Tuesday as the American mathematically went through alongside Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Juan Del Potro.
Sodering said that he's just playing each match and not calculating grand strategy with three weeks and three events to play in the regular season.
"I'm not counting points or anything," he said. "I hope I can do well enough to make it to London.
"But all I can do is try and win every match. I'm playing Valencia next week and then Paris. I want to do everything I can to qualify."
