Basle, Switzerland - Marco Chiudinelli joined compatriot Roger Federer with more home success at the Swiss Indoors Tuesday as the wild card rose to the occasion over eighth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-5. A day after world number one Federer moved though at the event where he got his start in the game, fellow Basle native Chiudinelli imitated his compatriot and childhood friend to reach the second round.
It took two and a half hours to put out Germany's Kohlschreiber, whose room at his hotel in Vienna was broken into last weekend on the days he lost matches in both singles and doubles.
Chiudinelli will await an opponent from a third Swiss in qualifier Michael Lammer or Austrian Dani Koellerer.
It's great to have some success at home in Basle," said Chiudinelli, ranked 73d, just two below his career best achieved last week. "It was tough against Koeli.
"But I'm very fit right now and it hasn't been that easy for me during the last two years here.
"He really put me to the wall but I believed in myself and came through with the win. To win at home is perfect, I'm elated."
In other opening-round results, Czech Jan Hernych handed Peter Luczak a 6-3, 6-4 loss, the Australian's third straight in a first round.
Henrych will now play the winner as second seed Novak Djokovic - making his tournament debut - faces German Andreas Beck.
Russian Evgeny Korolev rallied past Italian Simone Bolelli 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, the pair putting over 2 aces between them while Serb Victor Troicki dispatched the day's second German with a defeat of Benjamin Becker 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).
