Top-seeded Andy Roddick weathered high temperatures to beat Rajeev Ram 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-3 in the second round of the Atlanta Tennis Championships on Thursday.
Roddick is aiming for his 20th career tournament title on hardcourts and third this year.
“The first game of the third, I was down a couple of break points,” Roddick said.
PHOTO: AFP
“If he breaks the first game of the third, I think it’s a long way back because he started serving a little bit better in the second set. That was probably the pivotal moment in the match,” he said.
Belgium’s Xavier Malisse defeated Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko 6-3, 6-3, while third-seeded Lleyton Hewitt lost a late match 6-4, 6-2 to Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko.
Hewitt blamed an injury, which he refused to disclose, with keeping him from playing at full capacity. He acknowledged, however, that the injury occurred before he arrived in Atlanta.
South Africa’s Kevin Anderson was a 7-5, 6-3 second-round winner over Donald Young.
■GERMAN OPEN
AP, HAMBURG, Germany
Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan upset defending champion Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the German Open on Thursday.
Third-seeded Juergen Melzer of Austria advanced to the last eight by beating Jeremy Chardy of France 7-5, 7-6 (4).
Sixth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain beat Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, while seventh-seeded Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil defeated No. 10 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 7-5, 6-4. Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan beat wild card Julian Reister of Germany 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Florian Mayer of Germany made the last eight by dispatching Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina 7-6 (1), 6-0.
In other matches, Andreas Seppi edged Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-4 in an all-Italian encounter and another Italian, Potito Starace, beat Spanish qualifier Pere Riba 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
■GASTEIN LADIES
AP, BAD GASTEIN, Austria
Alize Cornet of France beat defending champion and top-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals of the Gastein Ladies.
Cornet won 6-2, 7-5 and was next due to face Austrian Patricia Mayr, who upset No. 7-seeded Tathiana Garbin of Italy 6-3, 6-4.
Petkovic broke early for a 2-0 lead before losing the next six games to drop the first set. She then served for the second set at 5-3, but was broken when she double-faulted and lost her next service game as well to slip to defeat.
Garbin broke Mayr in the opening game but lost serve twice before dropping the first set. The 123rd-ranked Mayr closed out the match on her first match point.
Julia Goerges of Germany also advanced on Thursday by defeating Mariya Koryttseva of Ukraine 6-2, 7-5.
Yvonne Meusburger defeated 2008 finalist Lucie Hradecka of Czech Republic 7-5, 7-5.
■SLOVENIA OPEN
AP, PORTOROZ, Slovenia
Second-ranked Jelena Jankovic injured her ankle during the second round of the Slovenia Open and retired hurt on Thursday.
Jankovic was cruising at 6-1, 2-1 against Belarusian qualifier Anastasiya Yakimova then stepped awkwardly when chasing a ball on the baseline and twisted her ankle. Jankovic continued to play after getting medical help, but lost that set 6-3 and eventually retired after losing the first game of the third.
Ksenia Pervak beat qualifier Alexandra Panova 6-2, 7-5 in an all-Russian match.
Pervak jumped into the draw to replace French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, who withdrew with a wrist injury.
Third-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia beat Rossana De Los Rios of Paraguay 6-3, 6-0 to face Johanna Larsson of Sweden who defeated Maria Elena Camerin of Italy 7-5, 6-1.
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