WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Defending champion John Isner overcame two rain delays to advance in straight sets, while Andy Roddick was eliminated from the Winston-Salem Open on Wednesday.
The third-seeded Isner, ranked 10th in the world, needed only 71 minutes to beat 13th-seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-4, 6-3 in the third round at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
The fifth-seeded Roddick, a former world No. 1 player now ranked 21st, fell to 81st-ranked Steve Darcis of Belgium 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-3), in the final hard-court tournament before the U.S. Open next week in New York.
Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France also advanced to the quarterfinals along with second-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, fourth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine, sixth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain, seventh-seeded Sam Querrey and Belgium’s David Goffin.
