LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Russell moved into the second round of the tournament with a 6-3, 6-4 win over fellow American Jesse Levine on Tuesday at the Farmers Classic.
Russell, at 34 the oldest player in the field, is having one of his better seasons. He advanced to his first career semifinal with wins over Mardy Fish and Ryan Harrison in Houston.
Last week in Atlanta, he got to the quarterfinals in singles and paired with Xavier Malisse to reach his first doubles final.
Malisse, the No. 5 seed, also moved into the second round with a 6-4, 6-1 win over recent UCLA graduate Nicolas Meister, a qualifier making his tour debut. Igor Andreev of Russia beat Dudi Sela of Israel, 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the other early match.
