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NEW YORK: Britain's Andy Murray breezed into the second round of the US Open on Wednesday while ninth seed Andy Roddick and Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych made early exits from the year's last Grand Slam event.
Fourth seed Murray overwhelmed Slovakia's 71st-ranked Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, in one hour and 51 minutes and will next play Jamaican Dustin Brown, who beat Spain's Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), 7-5.
"It was brutal conditions," Murray said. "It was pretty hot on the court and breezy too, but I was happy to get through it in three sets."
Serbia's 44th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic reached the third round of the US Open for the first time in seven tries, firing 66 winners in upsetting 2003 US Open champion Roddick 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
"He played very high risk and executed for four sets," Roddick said. "I kept telling myself, 'This has to have an expiration date on it.' I think I needed another set for that.
"I did what I could. He played well. He deserved to win. Too good."
Berdych, whose Wimbledon run and a French Open semi-final appearance had him among the Flushing Meadows favorites, went 0-for-3 in break points in being humbled by France's 35th-ranked Michael Llodra 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4.
"I felt confident. I felt good," Berdych said. "I just didn't get a chance to play my tennis. All credit to him. He was serving well and making all the volleys. When I had break points, he made great saves. All respect to him.
"I didn't even see what to do differently or better. There was no chance to get a rhythm. He took his weapons and played 100 percent. It happens. It's going to happen to every player."
Berdych, enjoying the highest ranking of his career at seventh, has never gone deeper than the fourth round at the US Open and was also eliminated in his first match on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts in 2008.
"It was a great two Slams for me," Berdych said. "Of course I'm not happy I lost first round. This one can give me energy for different tournaments. The world is not going to change after this, so I'll throw it away and keep going."
Berdych's removal took out the highest-ranked obstacle to the semi-finals for Murray, who fired eight aces and 37 winners to book a date against Brown, who already has a plan to handle Murray.
"I'm going to definitely try and play my type of tennis, be aggressive and keep the points short," Brown said.
Murray reached his first Grand Slam final at the 2008 US Open, losing to Roger Federer in the final after upsetting world number one Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. Murray also lost to Federer in this year's Australian Open final.
Last year, Murray was a personal-best second seed at the US Open but lost to Croatian Marin Cilic in the fourth round.
The 23-year-old Scotsman, won his first title of 2010 last month at Toronto, beating Nadal in the semi-finals and Federer in the final, showing he has the skill to topple the top seeds and finally claim a Grand Slam title.
Roddick, who has struggled with mononucleosis for months, fell behind 5-2 in the tie-breaker and had no answer for Tipsarevic, who connected on 59 percent of his first serves and won 81 percent of those points (58 of 72).
"First serve was huge," Tipsarevic said. "Big first serve percentage helped me win."
Roddick said his recent illness was not a factor.
"I feel fine," Roddick said. "There's nothing there. I'm not going to talk about it because I lost it. It was frustrating but at the same time I was just trying to make him keep coming up with it. He was able to do it."
Tipsarevic next faces French 17th seed Gael Monfils, who celebrated his 24th birthday by ousting 121st-rated Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. The Russian, slowed by knee and ankle injuries, had won four of five prior matches against Monfils.
Beating the Frenchman would allow Tipsarevic to match his best Grand Slam showings, fourth-round runs at Wimbledon in 2007 and 2008, the latter after dispatching Roddick in the second round.
Another upset victim was Croatian 15th seed Ivan Ljubicic, who has never gone past the third round in 10 prior US Open starts. He was eliminated by US teen qualifier Ryan Harrison 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-4, in the broiling heat.
"Throughout my career I struggled with the heat," Ljubicic said. "I sweat a lot and feel really bad. I can't move. It gets to me really quick.
"We saw some players struggling big time. It's just brutal."
US 20th seed Sam Querrey, whose four titles this season rank second only to Spanish world number one Rafael Nadal's five, beat US college champion Bradley Klahn 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Querrey blasted a backhand shot into Klahn's groin in the second game of the second set. After a medical timeout the 596th-rated underdog battled back to hold, broke Querrey and held through to take the set and level the match.
But Querrey answered the challenge to advance, keeping on track for a possible fourth-round meeting with Murray.
- AFP/de/fa
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