The first two sets of the Monday night match were much closer than Andy Roddick would have liked. Roddick managed to break Sergiy Stakhovsky and win the first set 6-4 but the Ukraninan bounced back and won a thrilling second set 7-6(5).
The third set was another story, however. With the crowd decisively behind him, Roddick rolled through the third set 6-1. In the next round he will meet Thiemo de Bakker, who won a thrilling match against Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in the second match of the day on Grandstand Court.
Qualifier Taylor Dent and American Sam Querrey both cruised to straight sets victories on a picturesque Monday in Cincinnati. Dent dispatched the dangerous Feliciano Lopez in workmanlike fashion, serving his way to a 6-3, 6-2 victory. Querrey, the second-highest ranked American player in the world beat Philipp Petzschner, 6-1, 6-4.
Under sunny skies and relatively low humidity, there were few surprises on the first full day of men’s action. Number 10 seed David Ferrer needed three sets to dispatch the pesky Alexandr Dolgopolov (3-6, 6-3, 6-4) and Paul-Henri Mathieu needed an equal number of sets to defeat Victor Hanescu, 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 6-3.
In doubles action, Mardy Fish and last year’s Cincinnati doubles champion Mark Knowles defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and Gael Monfils in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.