Top seed James Blake beat fellow American Robert Kendrick 7-5, 7-5 in their rain-delayed first-round match at the Delray Beach International tennis tournament here on Wednesday.

The clash was halted after just 17 minutes on Tuesday and more persistent showers meant Blake, ranked 12th in the world, also had to spend most of Wednesday waiting for the weather to clear.

The 28-year-old is strong favourite to claim his first win on the hardcourt at Delray Beach following the early elimination of second seed Tommy Haas and defending champion Xavier Malisse. Blake, a member of the US Davis Cup-winning team last year, will face Chilean Paul Capdeville in the second round. A good day for the US included victories for Sam Querrey and Vincent Spadea over European opponents.

Querrey overcame Russian Yuri Schukin 6-1, 6-4 and Spadea defeated Germany's Denis Gremelmayr 6-3, 6-4.
Japanese qualifier Kei Nishikori reached the second round after his German opponent Florian Mayer retired with a left leg injury.

Mayer, who went into the match struggling with the injury, lost the first set 6-0 and quit when 4-3 down in the second set.

Nishikori will face Amer Delic, who won an all-American clash with Donald Young 7-6, 6-3.

Tsonga out

Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made an early exit from the Marseille Open when Croatian wild card entrant Mario Ancic beat him 7-5 7-6 in the first round on Wednesday.

Ancic, back in action after a year out due to mononucleosis, served extremely well on his way to victory over the Frenchman, seeded seventh in the indoor event. Serbia's top-seeded Novak Djokovic, easily survived the first round, beating Croatian qualifier Ivan Dodig 6-1 6-4.  Second seed Richard Gasquet, the French number one, gave the home crowd something to cheer by brushing aside Italian Simone Bolelli 6-3 6-3.

Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, the third seed, also advanced  beating Croatia's Marin Cilic 6-4 7-6.