Sport News

Blake blames himself for struggling win at ATP Indianapolis

category: Tennis

18.07.2008 06:26

South Korean qualifier Jun Woong-sun to post a 6-3, 7-5 win in the second round of the ATP Indianapolis Tennis Championships.

The top-seeded 2006 champion admitted he made his own life a misery at times on Thursday against the number 293 who had won his first ATP match only this week.

"I shouldn't have had as much trouble as I did," said the number eight coming off of Roland Garros and Wimbledon second-round disappointments. "He made me work hard and gave me a scare.

"It had more to do with me than him today, maybe I felt him out a bit too much at first."

Blake narrowly missed going into a third set and had to save two set points in the tenth game of the second then notched up his game to finish the job in 71 minutes.

"I felt good about the last few games, those are the ones I'll remember for the next round," said the American who will face a second straight Asian challenge when he plays a quarter-final against Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun.

Lu, ranked 77th, had ended a dismal run of six first-round losses dating to last spring earlier this week. He compounded his success with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/1) victory over local Rajeev Ram.

Lu bounced back from back injury treatment to finish off the victory in one hour, 43 minutes with six aces and four breaks of serve.

"I felt the problem in the first set when I was a bit tight, but it got worse in the second," said Lu, who was stretched out on the court while the trainer worked on him. "I still had confidence that I could go through.

"I felt more pain in the second. But I took my chances in the tiebreaker to win."

The quarter-final will be the third for Lu, after San Jose five months ago and Memphis in 2007. He is the second Asian in as many editions to reach the quarters here, following in the footsteps of South Korean Lee Hyung-taik.

American Bobby Reynolds wrapped up a birthday win, turning 6-1, 6-1 over Colombian Alejandro Falla.

Number 90 Reynolds will play in the last eight at the ATP level for only the third time in his career after Delray Beach in February and Washington three years ago.

He had doubles later in the day, and said birthday celebrations would be kept to a minimum as he scouted out his next opponent - big-hitting young gun Sam Querrey.

Querrey rallied to beat American compatriot Vincent Spadea 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their second round evening match.

Original text is here

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