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Roddick blasts past Boeker at US clay-court event

Top seeded Andy Roddick returns a shot to Matias Boeker during the US Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas on Tuesday. Roddick defeated Boeker 6-2, 6-3. PHOTO: AP

Top-seeded Andy Roddick needed just 58 minutes to beat qualifier Matias Boeker 6-2, 6-3 Tuesday in the first round of the US Men's Clay Court Championships.

Defending champion and third-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany also won, beating Kristof Vliegen of Belgium 6-3, 7-5. Second-seeded Andre Agassi played Michal Tabara of the Czech Republic later Tuesday night.

"I played well considering it was for the first time in a tournament match in three weeks," Roddick said. "I moved pretty well and sneaked out a couple of points."

Boeker, playing against a top-10 player for the first time, was shaky at the beginning and had his biggest moment when he won seven of the first eight points of the second set and broke Roddick in the opening game.

Boeker then took a 40-0 lead in the second game before Roddick broke back. Each player held until the eighth game, when Roddick broke on Boeker's errant backhand.

Roddick ended it quickly in the ninth game with three aces and a service winner.

French Open champions Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero struggled to win three-set matches at the Open Seat Godo on Tuesday.

Moya, the 2003 Godo champ, beat Finland qualifier Jarkko Nieminen in a second-round match, while Ferrero opened with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over Spanish countryman Albert Montanes.

Seventh-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, No. 9 Thomas Johansson of Sweden and Max Mirnyi of Belarus reached the third round, while No. 13 David Ferrer easily won a tough opening draw against Fernando Verdasco in another all-Spanish battle.

Davydenko put away Spanish qualifier Francisco Fogues 6-3, 6-2.
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