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Sebastien Grosjean won the battle of the ATP circuit veterans at the Sony Ericsson Open on Wednesday, when the Frenchman knocked out former World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil 6-1, 7-5 in 76 minutes.

It was the pair's first career meeting since 2000. Grosjean improved to 4-2 lifetime against the former runner-up, who lost a memorable Miami final against American Pete Sampras in 2000.

"That day in the final I remember the atmosphere on the court was really amazing," said Kuerten, who was appearing at the tournament for the ninth time in his career. "Not only we played some great tennis, a match that lasted for three or four hours, but people getting involved and really being part of the match. For sure it was not only one of the greatest memories for me in this tournament, but in the world."

Wild card Kuerten, who plans to retire this season, made 39 unforced errors and could not convert any of the three break point opportunities he converted. Grosjean will next meet No. 27 seed Radek Stepanek in the second round.

"[My hip] is very painful," said Kuerten. "To be able to play and perform like the guys, for me it's really difficult. It would be impossible. That's probably the main thing that makes me decide to stop."

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Former World No. 19 Xavier Malisse of Belgium, currently No. 311 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, hit 18 winners to beat Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-1, 6-1. In the second round Malisse will hope to reverse a 4-0 career deficit against seventh-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian, who captured back-to-back ATP Masters Series titles at Madrid and Paris last year.

World No. 35 Dmitry Tursunov avenged his 2007 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells defeat to fellow Russian Evgeny Korolev, currently No. 102 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win in one hour and 44 minutes. The 25-year-old Tursunov hit 16 aces and won 70 per cent of service points to set up a second round clash with No. 8 seed Richard Gasquet. Although Tursunov holds a 2-1 career lead over Gasquet, the 21-year-old Frenchman won their last meeting in Dubai earlier this month.

Italian World No. 46 Andreas Seppi aims to record his second career win over ninth-seeded American James Blake in the second round, after the 24-year-old defeated Marc Gicquel of France 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. Seppi, who captured the Bergamo title on the ATP Challenger circuit in February, beat Blake at Adelaide in 2006.