The Hindu : Sport : Roddick advances, Blake falls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 13, 2006

Sport

Sport

Roddick advances, Blake falls

HOUSTON: Top-seeded Andy Roddick advanced to the second round of the $380,000 ATP U.S. clay court championships on Tuesday but second-seeded fellow American James Blake was a surprise loser.

Defending champion Roddick eliminated Chile's Paul Capdeville 6-3, 6-2 while French qualifier Antony Dupuis ousted Blake 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-1 in another first round match at the French Open tuneup event.

Roddick is seeking his fourth title at the event just a week after leading the U.S. past Chile 3-2 in a quarterfinal Davis Cup tie. Another seed to fall in his first match was No. 8 Juan Monaco of Argentina, who lost to wild card Mardy Fish. Fish will be next on the menu for Germany's Rainer Schuettler, who beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 6-0, 6-3.

Safin beats Andreev

Igor Andreev, seeded fifth, lost to Russian countryman Marat Safin 7-6(6), 6-4.

Andreev's defence of his first ATP title lasted less than two hours against Safin, who received a wild card entry for his first claycourt event since last year's French Open.

Safin, on the rebound from knee surgery, was starting to regain form after reaching the fourth round at Key Biscayne two weeks ago. Safin was down two breaks in the first set but bounced back and closed in a hard-fought 8-6 tie-break. Safin broke early in the second set and held on to his serve to win in 1 hour, 51 minutes.

The former world No. 1 will now play Boris Pashanski, who took out Albert Costa in the first round.

"I felt pretty good, I 've been playing on clay for one day and to win against Andreev, I cannot ask for more," said Safin. "Physically I felt well because my knee feels pretty good. I can't really complain about anything."

Ferrero loses

Former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero lost 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4 to fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, who came from a break down in the last set to win in 2 hours, 40 minutes.

Sixth-seeded Filippo Volandri was among four Italians to advance to the second round, beside Potito Starace, Andreas Seppi and Davide Sanguinetti.

Vaidisova falls

At Charleston, top seed Justine Henin-Hardenne opened the defence of her Family Circle Cup title with a comfortable win, but No. 14 Nicole Vaidisova was one of three seeds to fall by the wayside.

Henin-Hardenne, aiming to shake off the knee injury that troubled her in Indian Wells and Miami in the last month, defeated Sybille Bammer 6-2, 6-3.

Vaidisova was cruising toward the third round when unseeded Catalina Castano roared back, winning 10 straight games on the way to a 7-5, 6-2 victory.

Jelena Jankovic, seeded 10, lost to World No. 193 Julia Vakulenko 7-6(5), 7-5. Third seed Patty Schnyder survived a tough match with Meilen Tu, winning 6-5, 7-5.

Important results:

At Houston (U.S. men's clay court championships): First round: Vincent Spadea bt Carlos Berlocq 6-1, 6-3; Alexander Waske bt Jiri Vanek 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(2); Rainer Schuettler bt Gilles Muller 6-0, 6-3; Mardy Fish bt Juan Monaco 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(5); Andy Roddick bt Paul Capdeville 6-3, 6-2; Antony Dupuis bt James Blake 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-1.

At Charleston (WTA Family Circle Cup): Second round: Patty Schnyder bt Meilen Tu 6-4, 7-5; Catalina Castano bt Nicole Vaidisova 7-5, 6-2; Lourdes Dominguez Lino bt Kristina Brandi 6-4, 6-4; Justine Henin-Hardenne bt Sybille Bammer 6-2, 6-3; Dinara Safina bt Vera Zvonareva 7-5, 7-5.

At Valencia (ATP Open Comunidad Valenciana): First round: Nicolas Almagro bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4; Davide Sanguinetti bt Dimitri Tursunov 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3; Tomas Zib bt Andrei Pavel 7-5, 6-3; Marat Safin bt Igor Andreev 7-6(6), 6-4. — Agencies

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