Top-seeded James Blake beat Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the second round in the US Clay Court Championship on Wednesday.
It was their first match since Nishikori beat Blake in the final of a hard-court tournament in Florida two months ago.
“It definitely feels good any time you can avenge a loss,” Blake said. “He’s an excellent player, and 18 years old, he’s got a huge learning curve and will continue to get better.”
PHOTO: AP
Next up for Blake is countryman Ryan Harrison, who on Monday became only the 11th player in the Open Era to win a main-draw match at 15.
“I feel like I’m back in a junior tournament,” Blake said. “It’s amazing that this kid is 15 years old and won a round in a tour event. I know he’s going to come out tomorrow with nothing to lose. That’s always dangerous.”
Blake, the world’s No. 8 player, closed out Nishikori with an ace.
PHOTO :AP
Service breaks riddled the second set. Nishikori, 18 and ranked No. 116, broke Blake in the second game. Blake returned the favor in the next game, and the two traded breaks in their next service games to give Nishikori, a wild card, a 3-2 lead.
Blake then held at love to level it at 3-3 before Nishikori double-faulted to drop his serve and Blake took the lead for good.
Nishikori said Blake played more aggressively than in their Florida match.
“He was hitting the ball harder,” he said. “He was stepping inside the court.”
First into the quarter-finals were third-seeded Mardy Fish, who beat US countryman Hugo Armando 6-3, 6-2, and will face No. 8 Oscar Hernandez of Spain, who beat Donald Young of the US 6-4, 6-4.
Former top-10 player Nicolas Massu of Chile ousted fourth-seeded Sam Querrey 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.
Massu took nearly three hours against the US player to ground out a win he has struggled for lately. They traded breaks early in the third set but Massu broke Querrey in the ninth game to serve for the match at 5-4. Massu won four straight points to claim the win.
The Chilean has fallen out of the top-100 for the first time in five years to No. 108. Recently the six-time winner on the ATP tour was playing in minor challenger events in Florida and Italy to revive his fortunes.
Countryman Paul Capdeville also won his opener, beating qualifier Diego Hartfield of Argentina 6-0, 6-4.
In other first-rounders, Marcos Daniel of Brazil defeated Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-3 ,6-4, and Peter Luczak of Australia topped Harel Levy of Israel 6-4, 6-4.
■ Sharapova advances
AP, CHARLESTON, South Carolina
Maria Sharapova blanked US player Bethanie Mattek 6-0, 6-0 in less than an hour in the second round of the Family Circle Cup on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Russian star, coming off her first claycourt title last week at Amelia Island, was looking for her fourth tournament victory of the year.
“I played a lot of tennis in Amelia last week,” Sharapova said. “You just try to get the job done out there and do it as fast as you can, and hopefully get the ‘W’ and leave.”
Wednesday’s performance on the green clay at Daniel Island was a long way from the 20-year-old Russian’s first appearance in Charleston. In 2003, she made the field as a qualifier only to lose in the first round.
“I was walking around the grounds the other day looking at some of the courts I played on and some of the back courts I played on five years ago and thought how things have changed, for the good,” the 19-time tour winner said.
Sharapova was to face Tatiana Perebiynis of the Ukraine yesterday.
Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic opened her title defense by beating US qualifier Alexandra Stevenson 7-5, 6-0.
Jankovic, following her first final of the year on the hardcourts at Key Biscayne, had some trouble putting away Stevenson, who was playing in her first main draw since August 2006.
Jankovic prevailed after losing her serve twice in the first, and saved all three break points she faced in the second.
“I’m just trying to get my timing,” Jankovic said. “It’s a different game. The points are longer. You really have to know how to move well. It’s my first match on clay and I didn’t know what to expect from myself,” said Jankovic, who is ranked No. 5 in the world.
“First matches are always tough, but I was able to play a little better in the second set. Hopefully, throughout the tournament I will play better,” she said.
Next up will be Anastasia Rodionova of Russia, who beat Aravane Rezai of France 6-3, 6-4.
Two Russian seeds, No. 4 Elena Dementieva and No. 9 Vera Zvonareva, cruised into the third round.
Dementieva, the runner-up on her last visit in 2005, beat the US’ Jill Craybas 6-0, 6-2, and Zvonareva downed Spain’s Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-1, 6-0 in 48 minutes.
No. 7 Patty Schnyder, a two-time finalist making her 12th visit to Charleston, beat Olga Govortsova of Belarus 7-6 (2), 6-0, and next meets No. 11 Agnieszka Radwanska, who outlasted Edina Gallovits of Romania 6-7 (7), 6-2, 7-5.
No. 12 Katarina Srebotnik came back to beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, and plays Serena Williams in the third round.
No. 13 Victoria Azarenka topped Sun Tiantian of China 7-6 (4), 6-0, and other winners included Alize Cornet of France.
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