Tennis
Isner edges past Malisse
2012-05-23 21:53
Nice - Top-seeded John Isner hit 13 aces on his way to a hard-fought 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5) win against Belgium's Xavier Malisse at the Nice Open on Wednesday.
The hard-serving American won a match in which neither player conceded a break point, and will play Nikolay Davydenko in the quarter-finals after the Russian topped seventh-seeded Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
No 2 Gilles Simon of France and No.3 Nicolas Almagro of Spain also advanced to the last eight.
Simon downed Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-3 and will play Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, who beat Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-3.
Almagro overcame Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 and will face Steve Darcis of Belgium, who rallied past Italian Filippo Volandri 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Results on Wednesday from the Nice Open on clay at the Nice Lawn Tennis Club (seedings in parentheses):
Singles
Second Round
John Isner (1), United States, def. Xavier Malisse, Belgium, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5).
Nikolay Davydenko, Russia, def. Denis Istomin (7), Uzbekistan, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
Steve Darcis, Belgium, def. Filippo Volandri, Italy, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Nicolas Almagro (3), Spain, def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin, France, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Thomaz Bellucci, Brazil, def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain, 6-4, 6-3.
Gilles Simon (2), France, def. Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria, 6-3, 6-3.
Brian Baker, United States, def. Gael Monfils (4), France, 6-3, 7-6 (11/9).
Mikhail Kukushkin, Kazakhstan, def. Bernard Tomic (5), Australia, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.