Querrey Passes Opening Test; Harrison Ousts Ljubicic

© Getty ImagesSam Querrey fired 19 aces to secure victory in four sets.

Sam Querrey overcame a stern test in his first-round match with fellow American Bradley Klahn on Wednesday at the US Open, dropping the second set before prevailing 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 against the No. 596-ranked wild card.

After winning his fourth ATP World Tour title of the season in Los Angeles (d. Murray), Querrey suffered a dip in form and came into the US Open having won only two of five matches. Against the 20-year-old Klahn, a student at Stanford University and winner of the 2010 NCAA singles title, Querrey was made to work hard to secure victory in two hours and 29 minutes.

On another scorching day in New York, the 20th-seeded Querrey was hindered by 11 double faults, but also fired 19 aces and capitalised on 54 unforced errors from US Open debutant Klahn. The 22 year old, who reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows in 2008 (l. to Nadal), next will face Spain’s Marcel Granollers, who came from two sets down to defeat Italian Andreas Seppi 2-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

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American qualifier Ryan Harrison recorded his career-first Grand Slam victory as he upset Croatian No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 in just over three hours. The 18 year old, currently No. 220 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings, had won only three ATP World Tour matches this season, two of those victories coming in a quarter-final run in Newport (l. to Bloomfield). Harrison is the first American teenager to beat a Top 20 opponent in a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick, aged 19, defeated No. 11 Alex Corretja in the third round of the 2001 US Open.

"It's definitely the biggest one of my career so far," said Harrison. "So to win on this stage here and to take out a Top 20 player in the world is the biggest win of my career. I've always believed in myself. I have always had confidence in myself, so obviously I'm extremely excited and really pleased with what happened. But at the same token, I'm really going to look forward to trying to get back going back into my routines of the day off, and looking forward to trying to get ready for second round."

Spanish No. 14 seed Nicolas Almagro came from a set behind to secure his place in the second round with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Italian Potito Starace. The 25-year-old Almagro, who has reached the third round on his past three appearances in New York, is a two-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season, lifting the trophies in Bastad (d. Soderling) and Gstaad (d. Gasquet). In an all-Spanish second-round match, Almagro will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who dismissed Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4).