Nikolay Davydenko and Juan Carlos Ferrero set up a Wednesday battle of former champions at the Estoril Open.

Second seed Nikolay Davydenko, the 2003 champion who lost finals in 2006 to David Nalbandian and in 2007 to Roger Federer rallied back after trailing two breaks in the second set to emerge a 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Andrey Golubev in opening round.

Ferrero, the champion eight years ago on the clay of the Estadio Nacional, booked his spot by beating Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6 (7-4),6-3.

Ferrero, a former number one, last month claimed his first title since 2003 when he won Casablanca. The 29-year-old part-time hotelier has won two of his previous three matches against Davydenko, the last contested in 2005.

Spain's third seed David Ferrer ended a six-year dry spell at the event with his 6-4, 6-1 defeat of fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

Ferrer, ranked 14th, broke five times against the number 79 Gimeno-Traver after trailing early in the match on hot spring afternoon.

Seventh-seeded Alberto Montanes beat American qualifier Ryan Sweeting 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

French eighth seed Florent Serra beat Argentine Diego Junqueira 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, firing four aces but striking six double faults in slightly more than two hours on court.

In women's play Russian defending champion Maria Kirilenko, the second seed, needed a recovery to see off Canadian Sharon Fichman 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 6-3.

German fourth seed Sabine Lisicki reached the second round in cost of Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-2, 6-2.

(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2009)