Novak Djokovic Scratches Out Opening Cincinnati Victory

CINCINNATI: Novak Djokovic made a scratchy start on Wednesday at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters as the second seed won his opening match 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 over Andreas Seppi.

The three-time finalist and world number two behind Roger Federer had not even had the chance to hit on the showcase court after arriving in the Midwest from his post-Olympic title in Toronto at the weekend.

"It was not a great performance," admitted Djokovic, who improved to 9-0 over Seppi, whom he struggled with at Roland Garros in a comeback from two sets to love down in the fourth round. "I didn't do anything special out there.

"I was just trying to get used to conditions, trying to keep the ball on the court and hit one more than my opponent.

"This happens in every first match, you have to get used to quite different conditions. I came in late from Canada and it feels a lot different here."

Djokovic won in just under 90 minutes, a contest which included a 59-minute opening set in which the second seed needed four set points to take the lead.

The Serb stepped it up in the second as he ran out the winner with 21 winners and 22 unforced errors.

Top seed and four-time champion Federer was opening later against Alex Bogomolov while third seeded and Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray was playing his first match in a week after quitting in Montreal and taking on Sam Querrey here.

Djokovic will line up in the third round against Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Florian Mayer of Germany 6-3, 6-3.

Argentine sixth seed and former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro knocked out Germany's Tommy Haas 7-5, 6-2, Mardy Fish, the US tenth seed, beat Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 6-1. Wild card Lleyton Hewitt of Australia went down to Serb Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-0.

In the women's second round, top seed Agnieszka Radwanska dispatched Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-4, 6-3, with Italy's seventh seed and Roland Garros finalist Sara Errani beating Slovak Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-4.

Two Italians were eliminated, with American Sloane Stephens stopping Camille Giorgi 6-2, 6-1 and China's Peng Shuai overcoming Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-4.

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