Wed Sep 24 10:04:43 2008

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Verdasco, Querrey advance in Beijing

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Beijing, China (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco and eighth-seeded American Sam Querrey highlighted Wednesday's first-round winners at the $524,000 China Open.

Verdasco vaulted past American Bobby Reynolds 6-3, 6-3, while Querrey came from behind to beat fellow American Jesse Levine 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) on the hardcourts at Beijing Tennis Center.

Up next for Verdasco will be his former world No. 1 fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, while Querrey will encounter speedy German Bjorn Phau.

In other Day-3 action, Japan's Go Soeda stopped Chinese wild card Yan Bai 6-4, 7-5; Israeli Dudi Sela subdued France's Nicolas Devilder 6-4, 6-3; Czech Ivo Minar held off Korean Hyung-Taik Lee 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Swiss qualifier Jean- Claude Scherrer bested Chinese wild card Peng Sun 6-4, 7-6 (9-7); and American qualifier Brendan Evans outlasted Roko Karanusic 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 7-6 (12-10). Evans staved off three match points before sneaking past his Croatian counterpart.

This week's top-four seeds will all see their first action of the week here on Thursday, as top-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer will face Sela; second-seeded American Andy Roddick will battle Evans; third-seeded and defending champion Fernando Gonzalez will meet Soeda; and fourth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet will tangle with Taipei's Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round. The Chilean Gonzalez defeated Spaniard Tommy Robredo in last year's finale here. A sixth- seeded Robredo will also take to the courts here on Thursday.

The 2008 Beijing titlist will earn $85,000.