WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina, Aug 21 AFP – Top-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga launched his campaign at the ATP’s Winston-Salem hardcourt tournament on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over Thomaz Bellucci.
The world No.6 converted just one of his nine break-point opportunities, but saved all five that he faced to beat the Brazilian 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in a match lasting one hour 49 minutes.
Tsonga, who also beat Bellucci at the London Olympics, was one of 16 seeded players to enjoy a first-round bye. In the third round, he’ll face Ukrainian qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky – a 6-2 6-3 winner over Spain’s Pablo Andujar.
Second-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych who, like Tsonga, is appearing for the first time at the US Open tune-up event, needed just 95 minutes to oust Russian Alex Bogomolov 6-3 7-5.
Berdych will next play Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, who beat German qualifier Benjamin Becker 6-3 6-3.
Defending champion and third-seeded American John Isner shook off a slow start to beat 50th-ranked Slovakian Martin Klizan 4-6 6-3 7-5.
“The first one is normally the toughest,” said Isner, ranked 10th in the world.
“Credit to him – he came out and was playing pretty well, and I wasn’t on top of my game and that’s all it took in the first set. From that point on, I knew it was going to be a battle.”
Isner gained the decisive break for a 6-5 lead in the third set and wrapped up the victory in just over two hours.
Fourth-seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov lost only 10 points on his serve and fired eight aces in a 6-1 6-3 win over Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun.
Poland’s Lukasz Kubot had a 2-6 7-5 6-3 win over Julien Benneteau, who lost to Isner in last year’s Winston-Salem final.
Another seeded casualty was No.11 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, who fell to Belgian Steve Darcis 6-2 6-2.
Darcis will play American Andy Roddick, the fifth seed, in the third round.
Sixth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain and American No.7 Sam Querrey both advanced.
Granollers defeated local player Ryan Harrison 6-4 6-2, while Querrey dispatched Colombian Santiago Giraldo 6-3 6-2 in a match that had been suspended on Monday night because of rain.
