‘That was quick’: Blake sees off Dent in 40 seconds

 

Originally published on: 05/03/10 15:49

A backhand winner and an unreturned serve were all it took for James Blake to seal victory over Taylor Dent in the first round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Wednesday.

The No.7 seed had been on the verge of sealing victory a day earlier when rain forced a premature end to the day’s action with Blake leading 6-1 3-6 5-3.

With the scores at deuce on his own serve, he fired down the two winners to book his spot in the second round

“That was quick,” Blake said afterwards. “It’s what I was hoping for, but it’s a different situation than you’re really used to when you’re getting ready for a match.

“You get all warmed up and ready to go, you’re excited after just the first point, so it’s tough mentally, but I got through it and now I’m ready for more.”

In the only other match to survive the weather on Wednesday, Leonardo Mayer shocked namesake and No.6 seed Florian Mayer 6-4 7-6(4) to reach the third round.

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