HOUSTON — Fifth-seeded John Isner beat Ryan Harrison of the United States 7-6 (4) 6-4 in a first-round match at the US Men's Clay Court championships Tuesday. Isner had three aces in the tiebreaker, including a 125 mph shot at set point. His other aces were clocked at 137 and 138 mph. Harrison broke Isner's powerful serve in the ninth game of the second set, but Isner broke right back and took the victory at the third match point. Sixth-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain broke a string of three straight opening-round losses with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Steve Johnson of the United States. He came up with a couple of good shots in that last game and I missed some by fractions,” Harrison said.
“I'm a half inch from hitting my spots perfectly. At that point, you can't keep analyzing it. Sometimes the fractions go your way and sometimes they don't.” It was Isner's first match on clay since last September and it showed. Qualifier Robby Ginepri of the United States kept eighth-seeded Michael Russell of the United States off balance most of the match for a 6-2, 6-2 first-round victory. Verdasco won the tiebreaker when Johnson double-faulted at set point. Johnson held after four break points in the fourth game of the second set, but he was broken in the sixth and eighth games. Ginepri broke Russell quickly in the first game of the match and again in the seventh game and wrapped up the first set in the eighth game aided by three Russell errors and he had an ace at the first set point. Ginepri took control of the match in the opening game of the second set, breaking Russell at the fifth break point. Ginepri pounded in several down-the-line winners that left Russell flat-footed. Seventh-seeded Paolo Lorenzi overpowered Austrian qualifier Gerald Melzer 6-2, 6-2. Lorenzi next faces countryman Flavio Cipolla, who beat Argentine qualifier Facundo Arguello 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. In another all-American first round match, wild card Jack Sock converted his two break points chances to beat qualifier Bradley Klahn 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. Wawrinka rallies to win Top-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka rallied to beat 85th-ranked Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the second round of the Grand Prix Hassan II Wednesday. In first-round action, seventh-seeded Robin Haase of the Netherlands and Kenny De Schepper of France advanced and will next play each other. Haase beat Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, and De Schepper eliminated Steve Darcis of Belgium 6-3, 6-4. Tobias Kamke of Germany beat fifth-seeded Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-3. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez downed sixth-seeded Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3 in an all-Spanish match. Garcia-Lopez faces France's Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who rallied to beat Albert Montanes of Spain 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Eighth-seeded Grega Zemlja edged out Matthias Bachinger of Germany 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (2) in a match featuring 16 aces. The Slovenian next faces Henri Laaksonen after the Swiss qualifier beat Younes Rachidi of Morocco 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-1. — Agencies
