Ljubicic rallies to advance at Hamburg Masters; Safin in main draw

HAMBURG, Germany -- Ivan Ljubicic rallied to beat Steve Darcis 6-7 (8-6), 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) in the first round of the Hamburg Masters.

Ljubicic was two points away from losing the match when he pulled his game together to advance, as the Hamburg Masters got a rare Sunday start.

The tournament began while the Rome Masters was finishing with Novak Djokovic winning that title.

Top-ranked Roger Federer is the defending Hamburg champion after beating Rafael Nadal in last year's final.

Also Sunday, Ivo Karlovic edged Mischa Zverev 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3) and Gilles Simon defeated Xavier Malisse 6-4, 7-5.

Two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin qualified for the main draw when he beat Evgeny Korolev 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5).