Defending champion Andy Roddick was beaten by Xavier Malisse, 7-6 (8), 7-5, in an opening-round match on Wednesday at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.
For Roddick, whose world ranking has slipped to 27th, it was his earliest exit from the Memphis tournament in 12 appearances. Veteran Malisse, ranked 75th, was winless in four matches this season and in nine career matches against Roddick.
Roddick, seeded No. 2, has been slowed by hamstring and ankle problems this season. He was unable to capitalize on two set points in the first and was broken in the last game of the second by the 31-year-old Belgian.
Photo: EPA
Olivier Rochus of Belgium and Philipp Petzschner of Germany also pulled off upsets on Wednesday.
Rochus beat No. 5 Alex Bogomolov of Russia, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) and Petzschner defeated No. 6 Julien Benneteau of France, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6).
No. 4 seed Milos Raonic, champion of last week’s ATP World Tour event in San Jose, Milos Raonic beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-2, 7-6 (7/3).
In other men’s first-round matches, No. 3 seed Radek Stepanek won 6-3, 6-2 over qualifier Bobby Reynolds, No. 7 seed Kevin Anderson advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over qualifier Robby Ginepri and Jurgen Melzer of Austria beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(4). Istomin was coming off a runner-up finish in San Jose.
In the Memphis International, the accompanying Women’s Tennis Association event, Alberta Brianti of Italy eliminated No. 2 seed Ksenia Pervak, 7-6 (3), 6-2, while Sofia Arvidsson, the 2006 champion, joined Brianti in the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (5), 0-6, 6-3 upset of No. 5 seed Pauline Parmentier.
Unseeded Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine also reached the quarter-finals by ousting a seed. She beat No. 3 Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Only one of the eight women’s seeds — No. 4-ranked New Zealander Marina Erakovic — remains moving into the quarter-finals.
? OPEN 13
AP, MARSEILLE, France
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia won in straight sets on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals of the Open 13.
The top-seeded Tsonga did not face any break points, winning 36 of his 41 service points to beat Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-2.
Tsonga took a 3-0 lead in the first set and broke Mahut twice in the second. He will next play Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who cruised past Flavio Cipolla of Italy 6-3, 6-0.
Roger-Vasselin won the last eight games and broke Cipolla three times in each set.
The third-seeded Tipsarevic saved six break points to oust Belgian qualifier David Goffin 6-4, 6-2.
Tipsarevic slammed an ace to take the first set and clinched victory with a forehand pass down the line. He will meet Ivan Ljubicic, who beat Karol Beck of Slovakia 6-4, 7-6 (1).
The seventh-seeded Croat cracked 15 aces. Beck was broken at 5-4 to lose the opening set before dropping the second on a tiebreaker.
In the first round, Alexandr Dolgopolov rallied to beat Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3. The sixth-seeded Ukrainian broke for a 3-1 lead in the final set and will next face Michael Llodra of France, who defeated Swiss qualifier Marco Chiudinelli 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3).
Llodra, a 2010 champion, had 12 aces in his victory.
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