James Blake, Tobias Kamke cruise through the opening round – If Stockholm Open 2011
Former world number four, James Blake of the United States, faced limited trouble in disposing of the 72nd ranked Belgian opponent, Olivier Rochus, in the opening round of the If Stockholm Open on Tuesday.
The unseeded American took one hour and twenty five minutes of play to wrap up victory in straight sets, 7-6(6), 6-3, making it to the second round of the ATP (Association of Tennis professionals) World Tour 250 event.
Blake registered his fifth straight victory over Rochus, extending his winning record to 5-1 against the Belgian in singles encounters. They last played against each other in the second round of the US Open in 2009, with Blake
winning in four sets, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3.
The American banged in 17 thudding aces to secure some un-fought points on his 59 per cent precise serve. Blake dropped just seven points on his first serve, clinching 40 points, while Rochus followed him with 35 out of 46. Action
started from the third game of the matchup, with Blake registering the first serve break of the day, only to be broken in the very next game to reach 2-2. A regular game followed to take the opener into a tie breaker round and the American struck a vital mini-break
toward the end to close out the first set at 7-6(6).
Blake recorded his second serve break of the match in the fourth game and then held his lead till the conclusion of the contest at 6-3. He will take on the winner of 2009 US Open, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, in the next
round to fight for a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
The German qualifier, Tobias Kamke, also won his opening round clash, upsetting the eighth seed Spaniard, Tommy Robredo, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, on Tuesday evening.
25-year-old Kamke played magnificent hard-court tennis to root out the world number 48 from the competition in an assertive fashion. He is having a 14-21 winning record in the World Tour-level matches this season and desperately
needed a victory to gain back his confidence.
Kamke clinched 24 out of 28 first serve points in the game, with Robredo lagging far behind at 13 points to finish on the losing side in the end. Kamke converted four of his seven break points in the contest, while suffered just
one serve break from the eighth seeded Spaniard to book a place in the second round of the If Stockholm Open.
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