VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Nikolay Davydenko beat fifth-seeded Gilles Simon 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Monday in the first round of the Valencia Open, hurting the Frenchman’s chances of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals.
Davydenko hit a forehand winner to go up a break at 2-1 in the deciding set and used a drop shot to save a break point in the sixth game. It was the Russian’s second win in seven career meetings against the 12th-ranked Simon.
Simon trails eighth-ranked Mardy Fish by 720 points with only the Paris Masters to play before the season-ending tour finals in London. The top eight qualify for the Nov. 20-27 tournament in London.
Defending champion David Ferrer is seeded No. 1 in Valencia. He plays later in the week.
