Fish Opens Delray Beach Title Defence; Past Champs Malisse, Nishikori Fall

© Alese PechterBenjamin Becker knocked out past champion Kei Nishikori.

Defending champion Mardy Fish made his way safely through to the second round Tuesday at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tournament, when Belgian Christophe Rochus retired at 3-3 in the third set with a back injury.

Fish, who served 25 aces against the 5’7” Rochus, had rallied to level the score at 5-7, 6-3 after two sets.

“He’s got an annoying game for sure – makes a lot of balls, great hands, good returns,” said Fish. “Someone with good returns is sort of a nightmare for me, so not having played a lot of matches in the past few months, you don’t know what to expect. You obviously feel great out there on that court; it’s a great surface for me. It’s humid, it’s hot, my body feels pretty good in that kind of weather, so I got through it.”

Fish reached the Delray Beach final in 2003 (l. to Gambill), and captured the title last year with victory over qualifier Evgeny Korolev. He is looking to become the first repeat winner since Jason Stoltenberg in 1996-97, and next meets German Mischa Zverev, who accounted for eighth-seeded American Michael Russell 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. 

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The 28-year-old Fish is the only past champion remaining in the Delray Beach draw following the exits of top seed Tommy Haas on Monday night and Xavier Malisse and Kei Nishikori on Tuesday. Two-time champion Malisse bowed out to No. 4 seed Jeremy Chardy of France 6-3, 7-6(5), while surprise 2008 titlist Nishikori fell to third-seeded German Benjamin Becker 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.

Becker, a semi-finalist in 2007 (l. to Blake), said: “I just tried to stay calm after I got down in the second set, and refocused for the third set. I think I did well. I came out right after the changeover in the third set and I felt good. I was a little bit more aggressive, attacked the ball, and it helped me at the end.”

Croatian Ivo Karlovic, the No. 2 seed, posted his 10th match win of the season as he fired 19 aces in a 6-3, 7-6(3) win over Philipp Petzschner. The 33rd-ranked Karlovic has enjoyed solid results through the first couple months of 2010, reaching the quarter-finals at Doha, Zagreb and Memphis and the fourth round at the Australian Open. Three of his four losses this year have come against Top 10 players.

Two Mayers will face off for a place in the quarter-finals, after sixth-seeded German Florian Mayer eased past Australian qualifier Nick Lindahl 6-4, 6-1 and Argentine Leonardo Mayer edged past South African qualifier Kevin Anderson 7-6(7), 7-6(2).

In other matches, Latvian Ernests Gulbis defeated American qualifier Ryan Harrison 6-4, 7-6(5), Colombian Santiago Giraldo accounted for wild card Vince Spadea 6-2, 6-3, and German Daniel Brands ousted French wild card Sebastien Grosjean 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

In the last match Tuesday, two-time finalist and No. 7 seed James Blake was two points from defeating fellow American Taylor Dent when rain suspended play at 6-1, 3-6, 5-3. The two will resume their match Wednesday afternoon.