O'Brien to an early Bermuda Open exit in an intriguing three-set duel at Coral Beach last night.

Slight of build and shot, Braasch, the antithesis of the muscular modern male tennis player, fought back from losing a close first set 7-5 to take the next two 6-3, 6-3.

In fact, the German, who once took on and beat both Williams sisters at the same time in an exhibition match, resembles more a mad professor with his clipped beard and spectacles. The unorthodox left-hand serve just adds to the eccentricity.

And with his constant sliced backhand probing mercilessly at the Texan, keeping him glued to the baseline when all his instincts were pushing him to serve and volley, it was as if he was repeating an experiment over and over again on some unsuspecting laboratory rat until his hypothesis was proved correct.

The more powerful O'Brien showed he was not a quick learner -- it was Braasch's fourth victory in five meetings between the two.

Yet Braasch, who regularly pushed O'Brien, a member of the USA's thrilling 3-2 Davis Cup win over Britain ten days ago, further and further back before tormenting him with the subtlest of drop shots, denied he had such a game plan.

"I usually play the game that way,'' said the 31-year-old, currently ranked in the low 200s and around 100 places below O'Brien. "I'm not someone who can hit a backhand really hard, so I rely more on slice. I tried to make him run around a bit.'' Braasch, showing scientific persistence in saving eight set points in the first set, finally relinquished when O'Brien accepted the ninth with a fine angled overhead backhand winner.

But Braasch hit back immediately, breaking in the first game of the second set to take it 6-3. And he finally wore down the American's resistance in the eighth game of the third before serving to love for victory.

In last night's other match, number two seed Stafan Koubeck, of Austria, overcame Tomas Zib of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4.