INDIANAPOLIS — Andrei Pavel, the No. 11 seed, beat Jeff Morrison 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Monday in the first round of the RCA Championships.

        Pavel will play either 15th-seeded Francisco Clavet or Bjorn Phau in the second round on Wednesday. He overcame some ailments and a noisy, pro-Morrison crowd to advance.

        “Sometimes, when you're not really happy with your game, everything bothers you,” Pavel said. “I knew I was not feeling 100 percent mentally or physically. I had to fight through, and now, I have a day off to get my game together.”

        The top three players, Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin and Tim Henman all had first-round byes.

        Greg Rusedski, the 14th seed, opened with a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over Albert Montanes. He already has his sights set on the deeper part of the event.

        “I'm just happy I got a win,” said Rusedski, who rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the first-set tiebreaker. “I want to work my way into the tournament, and hopefully, get Hewitt in the third round.

        “He is the best hardcourt player in the world right now, I think. That would be a great test, going into the U.S. Open. But let's get through the second round first.”

        Rusedski will play the winner of Tuesday's match between Feliciano Lopez and Lionel Roux.

        In the lone night match, ninth-seeded Ranier Schuettler eliminated Mark Philippoussis, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4).

        Monday's other winners included Magnus Norman, Wayne Arthurs, David Prinosil and Alberto Martin.

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