21°c N/A
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
James Blake advances to 2nd round in Sony Open, beating fellow American Ryan Harrison
James Blake, of the United States, returns a shot from Ryan Harrison, of the United States, during the Sony Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 20, 2013, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Blake defeated Harrison 6-2, 6-2. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - James Blake advanced to the second round of the Sony Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win over fellow American Ryan Harrison on Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old Blake, a former top-10 player now ranked 95th and playing here on a wild card entry, was far more active than the 20-year-old Harrison, ranked seven spots higher, in the 57-minute match.
"It was one of those days when things are going in and right from the start I felt really good," Blake said. "Tonight is an example of what can happen when I can put it together. I was really being aggressive and taking it to him."
Harrison won his first two service games to take a 2-1 lead, but Blake won the next five games to take the first set. In the second set, Blake raced to a 4-1 lead.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt also won his opening match, topping Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-1, 7-6 (3).
Hewitt, the 32-year-old Australian who once topped the world rankings, made his first start in the event since 2009.
He has been injured much of the past three years, undergoing hip surgery and operations on his left foot, and is now ranked No. 91.
In women's play, Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., advanced to the second round with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Israel's Shahar Peer.
The 19-year-old will have to stage a massive upset to make it to round three. Bouchard faces world No. 2 Maria Sharapova on Friday.
Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2006 champion, beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain 6-3, 6-3 and 17-year-old Victoria Duval, a wild-card entry ranked 376th, beat 66th-ranked Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (4), 6-4.
More Tennis
- Back to Top
- Return to Tennis
More Tennis
(1 of 19 articles for this week)
Seeded players Hsieh Su-wei, Monica Niculescu lose in 2nd round at Strasbourg International
2:02 PM 0STRASBOURG, France - Seeded players Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and Monica Niculescu of Romania were beaten Wednesday in the second ...
Poll
Most Popular Tennis
- After Azarenka withdraws, Davis goes from being lucky loser to lucky winner at Sony Open
- Raonic easily through to second round at Monaco, Simon out in straight sets
- Serena Williams beats Sharapova to win 50th career title in Madrid; Nadal wins men's event
- Juan Martin del Potro, American players Brian Baker and Mardy Fish pull out of French Open
- Top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic upset by Argentine qualifier Guido Pella in Duesseldorf
- Sam Querrey beats Sergiy Stakhovsky to reach Nice Open quarters; Montanes, Andujar advance
- Seeded players Hsieh Su-wei, Monica Niculescu lose in 2nd round at Strasbourg International
- Defending champion Sharapova withdraws from Rome quarterfinals due to illness
- Murray retires with back pain, Nadal and Sharapova cruise in 2nd-round wins at Italian Open
- Andy Murray withdraws from French Open because of chronic back injury, will focus on Wimbledon
- Rafael Nadal earns 43rd straight win in Monte Carlo, Novak Djokovic's ankle stands up to test
- Serena Williams beats Sharapova to win 50th career title in Madrid; Nadal wins men's event
- Wimbledon men’s final in 3-D at Cineplex
- Russia wins doubles to complete 3-2 comeback win over Slovakia in Fed Cup semifinals
- After a difficult return in Madrid, Roger Federer says it's time to step up his game in Rome
- Nadal overcomes disastrous 1st set to edge qualifier Gulbis and reach Rome quarterfinals
- Bernard Tomic expected to play French Open while father awaits court case in assault charge
- Serena Williams beats Sharapova to win 50th career title in Madrid; Nadal wins men's event
- ATP chairman Brad Drewett dies at 54; ex-player helped boost Grand Slam prize money
- Russia wins doubles to complete 3-2 comeback win over Slovakia in Fed Cup semifinals
- After a difficult return in Madrid, Roger Federer says it's time to step up his game in Rome
- After Azarenka withdraws, Davis goes from being lucky loser to lucky winner at Sony Open
- Rafael Nadal earns 43rd straight win in Monte Carlo, Novak Djokovic's ankle stands up to test
- Preparing for the Italian Open, top-ranked Novak Djokovic says his right ankle is pain-free
- Federer, Murray each say there would be no problem if a men's tennis player comes out as gay
- Defending champion Sharapova withdraws from Rome quarterfinals due to illness
- Nadal ends qualifier Gulbis' run with 3-set win at Indian Wells
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.