Acasuso starts fast in Santiago

Gonzalez, who beat Acasuso a year ago for his fourth hometown title, dispatched Oscar Hernandez of Spain 6-2, 6-1 in the first round, while Acasuso hammered local wild card Hans Podlipnik-Castillo 6-1, 6-1. Top-seeded Gonzalez was trying to win his third Movistar Open in a row, and his fifth in 10 attempts. He'll next face another Spaniard, Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo.

Sixth-seeded Acasuso, champion in 2006, could run into Gonzalez again in the semifinals. He conceded only five points on serve and broke Podlipnik-Castillo five times. The Argentine will next play countryman Eduardo Schwank, who took more than three hours to beat Paolo Lorenzi of Italy 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Third-seeded Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil defeated Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, but fourth-seeded Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, a two-time semifinalist, was upended by Ricardo Mello of Brazil, who won 7-6 (5), 6-3 in his season opener.

Two other seeds ─ both making their debuts in Santiago ─ also exited. No. 5 Heracio Zeballos of Argentina fell to Lukasz Kubot of Poland 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, and No. 7 Simon Greul of Germany lost to 208th-ranked qualifier Joao Souza of Brazil 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Also winners were Spaniards Pere Riba and David Marrero, and Chile's Paul Capdeville.

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