Blake downs Olivetti in Metz

Metz - American veteran James Blake beat French wildcard Albano Olivetti 6-2, 7-6 (4) on Monday despite being aced 19 times in the first round of the Moselle Open.

Blake won 86 percent of points on first serve and broke Olivetti three times. He next faces fourth-seeded Florian Mayer of Germany, whom he has defeated in all three of their matches.

The American lost his first six matches of the ATP World Tour season but has improved to 8-12 overall.

The 20-year-old Olivetti, ranked 213th, was playing in only his fourth match on tour.