Former world No. 4 James Blake of the United States has set up a second round clash with current world No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro after beating Frenchman Arnaud Clement in straight sets on Tuesday.
The American served nine aces and hit 40 further winners, easing to a 7-5 7-5 6-2 victory in what was a battle of two of the more experienced players on the tour.
Blake looked strong in the opening set and fought his way through a tough second set in which Clement, the 32-year-old Frenchman, had chances to come back into the match.
The 30-year-old American held strong and reaped the rewards in the third set, where he careered away to complete the win comfortably.
Blake, the world No. 45, was reliant on his powerful serve throughout the match. Clement only managed to break Blake’s serve game once, while the American came up with five service breaks of his own.
After the match, Blake said he had worked on his serve in the off-season and was pleased to see results in the match.
“I only got broken once in three sets against a guy who puts so many returns in the court … (it’s) a good feeling. (I) got a few free points and served at a high percentage for me. I am pretty proud of the work we did on my serve in the off-season,” he said.
The del Potro-Blake match up promises to be a fascinating encounter, and Blake said he is under no illusion as to how he has to play to beat the Argentine.
“I know he is a great player, so I am going to go out knowing that I am going to have to play a great match to win,” he said.
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