NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Andy Roddick cruised to a first-round U.S. Open win over Frenchman Stephane Robert while celebrating his 28th birthday Monday.
The ninth-seeded Roddick sped past Robert 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in 1 hour, 42 minutes at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, improving his career U.S. Open record to 36-9.
Roddick, the tourney's 2003 champ, fired eight aces and had his serve broken only once in the match. He next faces Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, who downed Belgian Olivier Rochus 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2.
In other Monday matches at Flushing Meadows, fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling struggled mightily to survive a stiff challenge from unheralded Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer, hanging on for a 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 5-7, 6-4 victory.
No. 6 seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia glided to a second-round berth with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 rout of American journeyman Michael Russell.
