Baghdatis, Gulbis Make Surprise Exits; Nalbandian Overcomes Qualifier

© AFP/Getty ImagesArnaud Clement now has a 2-4 record against Marcos Baghdatis.

French veteran Arnaud Clement rolled back the years on his 12th appearance at the US Open on Tuesday. The 32 year old, who did not win a match during the Olympus US Open Series, beat in-form No. 16 seed Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 in three hours and 27 minutes.

Clement hit six aces and 42 winners compared to 22 aces and 56 winners for World No. 18 Baghdatis, who reached the Legg Mason Tennis Classic final (l. to Nalbandian) and Western & Southern Financial Group Masters semi-finals (l. to Federer) in recent weeks. Clement had not beaten Baghdatis since the pair’s first meeting at Lyon in October 2006.

Another seed, No. 24 seed Ernests Gulbis, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday, also made a surprise first-round exit on day two. Frenchman Jeremy Chardy ensured the Latvian ends 2010 winless in Grand Slam play after beating  the No. 24 seed 6-2, 7-6(1), 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes.

Chardy, 23, snapped a two-match losing streak against Gulbis by hitting 18 aces and 36 winners for his 21st win of the season. Gulbis dropped to a 26-15 mark on the year, highlighted by one ATP World Tour title at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (d. Karlovic).

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Two other seeds also fell in their first round matches, with No. 28 Radek Stepanek succumbing to Frenchman Julien Bennteau 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Meanwhile, 205th-ranked Canadian qualifier Peter Polansky dismissed No. 30 Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-3 to earn his first Grand Slam win.

The 22-year-old Polansky goes on to face James Blake, a two-time quarter-finalist at the US Open. Blake, who is playing at the US Open ranked outside the Top 100 for the first time since his 2001 appearance, advanced with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Belgian Kristof Vliegen.

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Argentine David Nalbandian survived a scare in his opener, overcoming South African Rik de Voest 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 in three hours and 59 minutes - the longest match through the first two days of the US Open. The No. 31 seed was first to blink in the fifth set, dropping serve early on, but converted on two of his three break points to finish off the qualifier.

Nalbandian, the 2002 Wimbledon finalist, was making his first Grand Slam appearance since the 2009 Australian Open. He spent nine months on the sidelines after undergoing hip surgery in May 2009, and also missed two months of the 2010 season with a hamstring injury.

The former World No. 3 impressed on his return in July, winning 11 straight matches on hard courts, highlighted by his 11th ATP World Tour title at Washington (d. Baghdatis).