Defending champion Andy Roddick advanced without difficulty while Britain’s Andy Murray was drummed out with ease at the $2.2-million ATP Cincinnati Masters.

Third seed Roddick, given a bye into the second round, booked the first spot in the third round as he unleashed 13 aces to swamp Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 on Tuesday.

Murray continued to struggle as he recovers from a wrist injury, losing 6-1, 6-2 to unseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who needed a mere 48 minutes to send the Scotsman to a lop-sided loss for a second straight week.
Roddick improved to 8-2 over Verdasco and left the American at 25-5 at this US Midwest tournament, which he won in 2003 and 2006.

“It feels like home here,” said Roddick. “That counts for a lot. I got better as the match went on, that’s better than the alternative.”

After a combatative opening set, Roddick began the second set with a break and added another for insurance to advance in 76 minutes.

Lleyton Hewitt struggled for a shade under three hours to subdue Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5).
Mario Ancic, back after six months away with glandular fever, upset Germany’s Tommy Haas 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 and Argentine Juan del Potro put out Guillermo Canas 6-2, 6-2.

Julien Benneteau and Juan Monaco also won through. Frenchman Benneteau defeated Russian Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to move into a match-up against Federer while Argentine Monaco faces Nadal by virtue of a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 defeat of Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.

Robby Ginepri became the third American into the second round with a win over Swede Jonas Bjorkman 6-3, 6-3.

Kuznetsova wins
Russian third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova made a triumphant return in her first match since Wimbledon, defeating Italy’s Roberta Vinci 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) at a $1.34-million WTA tournament, adds AFP from Toronto.

Kuznetsova, the 2003 US Open champion, has not won a WTA title or advanced past the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event this season, but she reached the finals at Indian Wells, Berlin and Rome.

China’s Peng Shuai advanced to the third round when a virus forced Slovenia’s Katarin Srebotnik to retire in the second set.

Peng led 6-1, 4-2 when Srebotnik quit the match.

Also advancing to the third round was Israel’s Shahar Peer, who eliminted Italy’s Tatiana Garbin 6-3, 6-2.