Only one seed was left in the second round of the US Men’s Clay Court Championships after No. 3 Jurgen Melzer and No. 4 Jeremy Chardy lost on Wednesday.
The last surviving seed was No. 6 and defending champion Marcel Granollers of Spain, who was due to play his second-round match yesterday against 2004 champ Tommy Haas of Germany.
Melzer was defeated by Wayne Odesnik of the US 6-4, 6-0, and Chardy followed soon after, routed by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-1, 6-0.
PHOTO: AP
Former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia accounted for Sergio Roitman of Argentina 6-1, 6-3 and will meet Garcia-Lopez next.
“I probably could have closed it out more comfortably in the second set,” Hewitt said. “He played a couple of good points to break me but it was blustery conditions out there so it was good to go ahead and finish up the second set.”
Top-seeded James Blake and No. 2 Mardy Fish were eliminated in the first round along with three other seeds in the first two days.
Wind raked across the Stadium Court, but Melzer was the only player bothered in his match against Odesnik, a semifinalist last year.
The Austrian began to fall behind near the end of the first set, when he won only two points in the final three games.
“It should be that windy all the time,” Odesnik said. “I’m used to it, growing up in Florida and training a lot in Austin. I just focused on what I had to do today. We are both lefties but on clay, I think I have a little more spin on the ball. I’m comfortable on clay.”
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