SAN JOSE, Calif. — Andy Roddick and Fernando Verdasco each advanced into the quarterfinals of the SAP Open with victories Thursday.
The top-seeded Roddick defeated Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 6-1, while Verdasco, the No. 2 seed, beat Benjamin Becker 7-5, 6-2.
Roddick, seed No. 1 and seeking a fourth title in San Jose, said he continued to feel fine following a pinched nerve in his right shoulder, suffered at the Australian Open, where he lost to Marin Cilic in a five-set quarterfinal.
“Tonight it was just coming off a bit firmer and I was able to move the ball around a bit more that comes from getting a match in,” Roddick said. “This was a good match for me. I felt like he had big swings and I thought that forced him to play a bit more aggressively on the first ball of a point which in turn creates a little bit of a more hit or miss deal for him which I though caught with him tonight.”
Verdasco had trouble with Becker in the first set but was able to easily defeat him in the second set.
“I started playing well but he started playing unbelievable,” Verdasco said. “He wasn’t missing any balls. But I was able to break him at 5-4 in the first with a tough game and I got some confidence from that and maybe he lost some confidence. I was able to break him again and gained some more confidence and in the second set I played really good.”
Other winners Thursday include Sam Querrey, who defeated Taylor Dent 6-4, 6-4, Michael Russell, who defeated Xavier Malisse, 6-4, 7-5 and Ricardas Berankis, ranked 255th in the world, who defeated Bjorn Phau of Germany, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Friday’s quarterfinals will have Roddick facing Tomas Berdych, Verdasco playing Berankis, sixth-seeded Phillipp Kohlschreiber taking on Dennis Istomin and seventh-seeded Querrey facing Russell.