Top Seeds Fall at US Men's Clay Court Championships

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 13, 2012) Thursday action at the 2012 US Clay Court Championship saw the number one seed fall while the number two, four and five seeds advance in second round singles action.

Unseeded Michael Russell shocked the crowd at River Oaks Country Club by downing nop teeded Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-1.

Number two seed John Isner had a bit tougher time in his match, having to go to three sets to defeat Horacio Zeballos 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2.

Juan Monaco, seeded number four easily downed Tatsuma Ito 6-3, 6-3 while number five seed Kevin Anderson took three sets to dispatch Sam Querrey 6-3 (3), 3-6, 7-6 (2).

In addition action, Ryan Harrison beat Igor Kunitsyn 6-2, 6-4 and Ryan Sweeting downed Bobby Reynolds 6-3, 6-2.

In doubles quarterfinal matches, the top four seeds fell leaving only unseeded teams advancing to the semi-finals.

The duo of James Blake and Sam Querrey downed the top seeded team of Alex Bogomolov and Scott Lipsky 6-3, 6-3 while Treat Conrad and Dominic Inglot beat the number two seeded team of Mark Knowles and Xavier Malisse 3-6, 6-4, 10-8.

The number three seeded duo Michale Kohlmann and Alexander Waske fell to the team of Ivo Karlovic and Frank Moser 7-5, 7-5.

In addition, number four seeded team of Johan Nrunstrom and Dick Norman lost to Bobby Reynolds and Michael Russell 6-3, 6-2.

Action will continue on Friday will an adjusted start time of 1 p.m.

On the stadium court, Juan Monaco will face Kevin Anderson in the first match with Michael Russell taking on Ryan Harrison at 3 p.m.

Beginning at 6 p.m. Horacio Zenallos or John Isner will play Ryan Sweeting followed by the Feliciano Lopez-Carlos Berlocq match.

In doubles action, Blake and Querrey will face off against Karlovic and Moser at 4:30 p.m. on court 3.

Huey and Inglot will play Reyonald and Russell in the second match.

Singles semifinals and doubles action is scheduled for Saturday with the singles final set for Sunday.

Live coverage of the tournament begins with Friday's night session on Tennis Channel. It continues will all the matches on Saturday and Sunday.