The Malta Independent 14 May 2024, Tuesday
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Pospisil downs Isner at Rogers Cup in Montreal

Malta Independent Wednesday, 7 August 2013, 06:36 Last update: about 11 years ago

Vasek Pospisil of Canada ground out a 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) win over America's John Isner in the first round of the Rogers Cup on Tuesday.

Two-time defending Rogers Cup champion Novak Djokovic also moved on, cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 win against Florian Mayer.

Pospisil will next face 51st-ranked Radek Stepanek, who beat 12th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3.

Three other Canadians advanced, too: Milos Raonic, Filip Peliwo and Frank Dancevic.

The 13th-seeded Raonic used his booming serve to beat France's Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in a night match. He next plays Mikhail Youzhny.

Raonic said he felt no added pressure to keep the Canadian winning streak going.

"I'm very proud and happy for the guys that have been winning," he said. "But it doesn't affect myself personally.

The 19-year-old Peliwo, who won the boys' title at Wimbledon last year, staved off a match point in the second set with what he called a "lucky" shot, and then moved on when Jarkko Nieminen stopped playing in the third set because of a hamstring injury.

Peliwo will face Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the second round on Wednesday.

Dancevic defeated Lu Yen-hsun 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-1 and next plays Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz, who beat Julien Benneteau 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

In the second round, Kei Nishikori of Japan rallied to beat Italy's Andreas Seppi 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Rafael Nadal, an 11-time Grand Slam champion who hasn't played since a first-round loss at Wimbledon, teamed with Pablo Andujar to fight off two match points and beat David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (2), 6-4, 12-10 in doubles.

In other first round singles matches, 13th-seeded Fabio Fognini beat Marcos Baghdatis 1-6, 6-1, 6-1, Alex Bogolomov got past Michael Llodra 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, Mikhail Youzhny defeated Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 7-6 (3) and Nikolay Davydenko came back to beat Gilles Simon 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.

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