The XL Bermuda Open burst into life last night thanks to a hugely entertaining tussle between Americans Michael Russell and Alex Bogomolov Jr., with the latter winning in two hard-fought sets.

Though the final score of 6-3, 6-4 might look straightforward in print ? the reality could not have been more different as both players treated a crowd who braved the damp evening cold to some magical baseline tennis which was arguably the best of the tournament so far.

Most who sat alongside the court in the bleachers were sporting hats and coats to guard against the chill, and as the evening wore on and the temperature dropped, some were even forced to don blankets to stop themselves shivering.

But with tennis of such high quality before them, virtually nobody decided to leave.

What made the match even more entertaining, furthermore, was the spirit in which it was played.

The fact that Russell and Bogomolov are good friends and practice partners undoubtedly helped, but the racquet-smashing, umpire-abusing histrionics which has characterised many of the first round matches was conspicuous by its absence.

Meanwhile, the match got off to a quick start with both players letting go of some crunching groundstrokes.

From the outset, however, Bogomolov Jr. seemed to have the edge in terms of power and consistency and he surged into a 5-2 first set lead.

Russell, who beat local favourite Andrew Bray in the second round of qualifying and had had to play three straight matches to make it as far as the second round, was clearly off the pace and was also having trouble holding on to his serve.

But having lost the first, Russell went through the gears early in the second, scrambling to run down everything and putting more and more pressure on his opponent to come up with the winning shot.

Such a pattern set in motion a brilliant succession of epic rallies which had some spectators squealing in excitement as the players slid around on the clay to pull off some unbelievable gets.

At 3-1 up, Russell looked increasingly in control and the smart money would have been on the match extending into a third set.

He was undermined once again, however, by his inability to win service games, allowing Bogomolov Jr. back into the match with two breaks in a row, giving his opponent an opportunity to serve for the match.

But Russell has not developed a reputation as a gritty fighter for nothing, saving a total of five match points in what turned out to be the final game before eventually smashing a forehand into the net to give Bogomolov Jr. a place in the third round.

"The score flattered me really because that was one heck of a battle," a shirtless victor said afterwards.

"Mikey and I know each other very well and I knew coming into tonight's match that he would fight to the very last point.

"It was cold out there but we put together some good tennis at times and the crowd really seemed to be getting into it and provided a bit of the warmth that we needed.

"I enjoyed it though ? it was a great scrap."

This match set the scene for the highly-anticipated doubles match later in the evening, featuring Mark Philippoussis and German Benjamin (Boom Boom) Becker against the American pair of Amer Delic and Paul Goldstein ? the latter the number one seed in the singles who was disappointingly knocked out in the first round.

The weather was not playing ball, however, as a passing shower forced the players off court for 15 minutes with the first set still in its early stages.

When they returned, most of the crowd had either gone home or retreated to the warmth of the bar and the food hut and proved unwilling to come back to give the match the atmosphere it probably deserved.

Philippoussis and Becker won the first set comfortably 6-1, before Goldstein and Delic upped the tempo in the second to take it 6-4.

The German and the big-serving Aussie prevailed narrowly in the deciding super-tiebreak 11-9.