Roddick, Nishikori through to Atlanta Quarterfinals

Fourth seed Andy Roddick struck down 10 aces to secure a straight-sets victory over Nicolas Mahut in the second round of the BB&T Atlanta Open on Wednesday.  After a competitive first set which saw the American win 7-4 in a tiebreak, Roddick stepped it up a notch.  Appearing nearly invincible on his serve, he went on to achieve a 1st serve points won percentage of 89% in the second set.  The Frenchman had no answer to his opponent’s play and he quickly conceded two break points, which resulted in a Roddick victory with a final score of 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in just 97 minutes.  Roddick will play fellow American Michael Russell in the quarterfinals.  Russell will be coming off his upset of the fifth seed Kevin Anderson in the second round.

Also through to the quarterfinals is the third seed Kei Nishikori, who faced a much tougher challenge against Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis.  After winning the first set 6-4, Nishikori dropped the second in a tight tie-breaker.  The third set remained competitive, but Berankis’ nerves got the better of him and he committed five double-faults.  Nishikori, the tour’s highest-ranked Japanese player, took advantage of his opponent’s errors and scored a break which would eventually lead him through the final set 6-4.  In his maiden run at the BB&T Atlanta open, Nishikori will face compatriot and eighth seed Go Soeda in the quarterfinals.