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Davydenko survives second-set scare

Nikolay Davydenko survived a brief second-set scare before winning 6-3, 6-3 against Jan Hernych to reach the second round of the Rotterdam Open on Tuesday.

World No. 4 Davydenko, playing for the first time since the Davis Cup earlier this month, dropped serve early in the second set against the Czech journeyman playing at the ATP level for the first time since last summer.

The Russian squared the set with a break-back of the No. 164 for 3-all then blasted through the last three games for victory in 78 minutes with four breaks of serve.

The win puts Davydenko into a contest against Michael Llodra, one of three Frenchmen to go through on the day.

That result helped wrap up the career of Raemon Sluiter, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) with the Dutchman now retiring after playing his last match.

Spaniards Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez both fell victim to French players, with Nicolas Mahut springing a surprise on Robredo 7-5, 6-4 and Gilles Simon stopping Lopez 6-3, 6-4.

Blake breezes past Warburg

Second seed James Blake breezed past fellow American Sam Warburg 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round of the ATP US$436,000 SAP Open on Tuesday.

The ninth-ranked player in the world bounced back and made short work of Warburg, dispatching him in 55 minutes.

Blake advances to face fellow American Jesse Levine in the next round.

A wild card, Levine posted a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Steve Darcis of Belgium on Monday.

In the final night match, Taiwan's Lu Yen-hsun outlasted hard-serving Max Mirnyi 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-2 in a two hour, 34 minute marathon.

Blake is trying to erase memories of Sunday's shocking loss to Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori in the final of the Delray Beach tournament in Florida.
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