CINCINNATI MASTERS Unheralded Hrbaty snaps Federer's match streak

The world's top-ranked player lost to his former doubles partner.
MASON, Ohio (AP) -- Top-ranked Roger Federer had his 23-match winning streak stopped in a first-round upset Tuesday.
No. 2 Andy Roddick rallied to avoid one of his own.
Federer lost a second-set tiebreaker to former doubles partner Dominik Hrbaty and couldn't recover, falling 1-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the Tennis Masters Cincinnati. The world's top player hadn't lost in the first round since the 2003 French Open.
"I had a great run," said Federer, whose last loss was to Gustavo Kuerten in the third round at Roland Garros. "The streak's ended now. I'm going to take a few days off."
He almost had some familiar company.
Roddick lost to Federer in the championship at Toronto on Sunday. They had a day to recover before their first matches in the $2.5 million Cincinnati tournament.
Roddick struggles
Roddick struggled against Max Mirnyi, who had more energy and repeatedly charged the net to win points and keep it close. Roddick was reminded of Federer's fate as he rallied for a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3 win.
"You think about it," said Roddick, who has won 19 of his last 20 matches on hard courts. "It comes to your mind and goes through to the other side. Roger's match didn't have anything to do with mine. I was not out there trying to avoid the upset."
Mirnyi went up 5-4 in the second-set tiebreaker and was in position to serve out the match. Roddick recovered, won it when Mirnyi hit a backhand wide, then broke him to go up 2-1 in the third set.
"He definitely could have closed me out there [in the second set]," Roddick said. "At that point, I definitely felt that I deserved to lose."
Fifth-seeded Tim Henman and seventh-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero also advanced in first-round matches Tuesday.
First since McEnroe
Federer became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round in Cincinnati since John McEnroe was upset in 1984. Federer has never had much success in the tournament, suffering first-round losses in three of his four appearances.
His winning streak was the longest on the men's tour since Pete Sampras ran off 24 in a row in 1999.
"If I had equaled it, it really wouldn't have mattered," he said. "It wasn't going to do anything to me."
Federer had won his last four tournaments, including Wimbledon, and eight overall this season. He appeared to be well on his way to a 24th win as he tore through the first set in 21 minutes.
As the temperature climbed into the mid-80s, Federer faltered and Hrbaty started his comeback.
He won the 56-minute second set, and both players stayed on serve until Federer's forehand sailed out for the only break in the third set, putting Hrbaty up 5-4. He then served it out.
Hrbaty moved Roddick around and wore him down as the match went on.
"I think my game is too fast for him," said Hrbaty, who is 2-0 career against Federer. "He doesn't have the time to get me running all over the court."
Six wins over top players
Hrbaty now has six career wins over No. 1 players, starting with an upset of Sampras at the 1997 Australian Open. Hrbaty was Federer's doubles partner in 2000.
Federer said he was tired after winning in Toronto, which may have contributed to his fade.
"It's a pity," Federer said. "I played really well for one set and a half. I missed some opportunities in the second set."
Henman took advantage of Younes El Aynaoui's long layoff to get a 6-1, 6-0 win. It was El Aynaoui's first match since January, when he was sidelined by a sore foot. He aggravated a long-standing shoulder problem during warm-ups.
Ferrero got a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Arnaud Clement, who had been sidelined this summer by a shoulder injury.