Tennis Capsules: Dr. J watches daughter play at Charleston, S.C.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Julius Erving watched his daughter Alexandra Stevenson play tennis for the first time Tuesday in a first-round loss at the Family Circle Cup.

Erving, wearing a black sweatsuit and a black and white baseball cap, watched from the porch of the players' clubhouse as Stevenson lost on clay to Akul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-4.

Asked if it was the first time the basketball great had seen her play, Stevenson said, "Yes, that is true. And I actually didn't seem him until the second set."

It's been a decade since the 28-year-old Stevenson learned that Dr. J was her father, about the time she made the Wimbledon semifinals.

"We were never in a bad place, I just didn't know him," Stevenson said. "So it's good now. I mean, obviously, it's still odd because you're getting to know somebody. But it's nice that I know him, and he's supporting me out here, coming to watch me play."

Erving did not speak to reporters as he left the clubhouse.

It was a better day for two other Americans. Bethanie Mattek-Sands advanced with a 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over Marina Duque Marino of Colombia, and unseeded Shenay Perry upset 15th-seeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycovia of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-1.

American Angela Haynes was eliminated 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 by Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia.

Stevenson said her father had wanted to see her play for some time. He came to the Family Circle because it's close to Atlanta.

"He lives in Atlanta. So it's four hours," she said, adding that her father knows Family Circle tournament director Bob Moran.

Stevenson said Dr. J has a greater appreciation for tennis.

"He can see how hard tennis is," she said, laughing. "It's not like basketball where you have a whole team of support. So it's nice he came out here."

In other matches, Sania Mirza of India defeated Sesil Karatantcheiva of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-4, and Marion Bartoli of France defeated Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia, 6-1, 6-3 .

Third-seeded Vera Zvonareva defeated Rossana De Los Rios of Paraguay 6-3, 6-2, and No. 9 Aleksandra Woziak of Canada defeated American Abigail Spears 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

Top-seeded Elena Dementieva, ranked No. 3, will face American Julie Ditty in the late match Tuesday.

Defending champion Serena Williams withdrew after sustaining a leg injury in Miami this month.

Djokovic, Murray reach 3rd round at Monte Carlo

MONACO - Third-seeded Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Andy Murray each won in straight sets Tuesday to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Djokovic cruised in a 6-1, 6-2 win against Oscar Hernandez of Spain, while Murray began slowly before easing past Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3, 6-2.

Djokovic, who reached the French Open semifinals last year, will face either Jean-Rene Lisnard or Albert Montanes. He

"I didn't quite expect to perform that good, considering the fact that I didn't have any matches, singles matches, on this surface," Djokovic said. "But I was really playing aggressive and patient at the same time. This combination is really important for this surface."

Murray twice dropped serve to trail 2-1 in the opening set, but the Scot took the next four games for a commanding lead.

"At the start of the match when I got broken, I was sort of moving like I was still on a hard court," Murray said. "And then after four, five, six games, I started to move better."

He broke Hanescu, a French Open quarterfinalist in 2005, in the seventh game of the second set to take a 5-2 lead, and converted his fourth match point when the Romanian hit a forehand return into the net.

Murray, who lost to Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final last year, next takes on the winner between Marin Cilic and Fabio Fognini. If Murray wins, he will reach a clay-court quarterfinal for the first time in his career.

"It takes time, I never played that well on clay especially in the last couple of years," Murray said. "I played solid and he made some mistakes. I was happy with the way I played for my first match on clay this year."

Also in the second round, sixth-seeded Gilles Simon lost 7-5, 6-1 to Andreas Beck.

Simon, who twice beat Federer last year, said the loss to a qualifier was the worst he could recall.

"I don't remember ever playing so badly. Nothing was right. Nothing was working. My forehand, my backhand, my serve, nothing," Simon said.

In first-round matches, the 10th-seeded David Ferrer beat Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-3 in an all-Spanish meeting; No. 12 David Nalbandian of Argentina beat Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia upset ninth-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-3, 6-1.

Montanes, Lisnard and Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina also reached the second round.

In later first-round matches, Lleyton Hewitt took on Marat Safin in a match between two-time Grand Slam champions and former top-ranked players.

-- Jerome Pugmire

Kirilenko begins Barcelona defense with win

BARCELONA, Spain - Maria Kirilenko opened defense of her Barcelona Open title with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Camille Pin of France on Tuesday.

The sixth-seeded Russian player took advantage of Pin's erratic serve for six breaks on the outdoor clay.

Two seeded players failed to reach the second round, - Kaia Kanepi and Sorana Cirstea.

Lucky loser Masa Zec Peskiric of Slovenia overcame 12 double-faults and rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over the fourth-seeded Kanepi, while Belorussian qualifier Anastasiya Yakimova posted a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win over the eighth-seeded Cirstea.

Zec Peskiric had replaced third-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues after the Spaniard pulled out with an abdominal strain.

Federer cries again, but tears of joy this time

MONACO - The tears streaming down Roger Federer's face came not from anguish but from happiness, and the person standing opposite the Swiss star was his new wife.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion, who is playing this week at the Monte Carlo Masters, spoke about his marriage to longtime girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec for the first time Tuesday.

"A few tears here and there," Federer said about Saturday's wedding in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland. "It was nice."

Federer also broke into tears after losing to rival Rafael Nadal in five sets in the Australian Open final. As he was being awarded the runner-up plate in Melbourne, Federer said, "God, it's killing me."

Last weekend, it was a more joyous feeling that led to the weeping.

"I got very emotional, you know, yet again," Federer said. "It was just nice to know that she loves me so much, I love her so much. It was just a very nice day. We had perfect sky, perfect weather."

Ahead of his second-round match against Andreas Seppi of Italy on Wednesday, Federer spoke only briefly about tennis, saying he still hopes to finally win the French Open - the only major he has not won.

"I hope I can win the big one," Federer said. "That's what the focus is here."

Off the court, Federer said he is surprised how different he feels now that he has a wife.

"It's a very special moment. I thought it to be a bit more relaxed, because we've been together for so, so long," Federer said. "It definitely does change your mind-set, your life."

The pair married in a private ceremony, and they did a good job of keeping it secret.

"If you want to get married in private, you have to go to Switzerland," Federer said. "They don't actually care over there. They actually want to give you peace and privacy. That's why I love being a Swiss and living in Switzerland."

Along with chasing a record-tying 14th Grand Slam title at the only major he has never won and reclaiming his No. 1 ranking, Federer is looking for a name for his son.

"We'll see. There's quite a few books around that are that thick, so we'll see where it takes us," Federer said. "But, no, we haven't decided anything yet."

-- Jerome Pugmire