Blake beats friend, bogeyman Grosjean awaits
12th seed James Blake is one win off his best performance at the Australian Open, after easily accounting for American compatriot Michael Russell 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round.Think Lleyton Hewitt is good value at $2.10 to beat Marcos Baghdatis at the Australian Open? Bet now with Lasseters
Blake fired 34 winners in the romp on Margaret Court Arena, losing just seven points on his first serve. The New Yorker wasn’t expected to have too many dramas accounting for the world number 101, however Blake has a history against Russell that doesn’t make for great reading. “I played him in challengers. He beat me every time. In fact, for many years I thought he was unbeatable, the way he used to play against me,” Blake said.
“A lot of people might look at his ranking and kind of look past him, but I knew better than to do that. I think that’s a big reason why I got the win so convincingly.”
The duo are close friends on the tour, but instead of the friendship clouding the joy of victory, Blake said it spurred him on.
“To be honest, I think it’s easier with the fact that we’re such good friends. I think it would be tougher if you’re kind of acquaintances. You don’t know if someone is going to take something personally, if there’s going to be hard feelings,” Blake said.
Blake has made the Melbourne Park round of 16 on three occasions, with the gritty Sebastian Grosjean standing in the way of another fourth round appearance. The Frenchman has a 3-0 record against Blake, however Grosjean has not enjoyed the best of times, slipping in the rankings to 45.
“I had match points against him I think last time I played him and lost. An excellent player, (he) serves really well under pressure,” Blake said.
“His forehand is one of the best on tour.”
| > | Ivanovic cruises into third round |
| > | Hewitt: Opponent faked injury |
| > | Lleyton makes hard work of win |
| > | Santoro: Federer beating was fun |
| > | Healthy Federer fit and firing |
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