Becker breezes through to Nishikori clash

German produces top class performance to beat Lacko 6-3, 6-2.

MEMPHIS: Cypriot wildcard Marcos Baghdatis, Croatian Ivo Karlovic and Germany’s Benjamin Becker recorded straight-set victories to book second-round matches with seeded players at the $647,000 ATP US Indoor Championship.

Becker defeated Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-2 and advanced to a second-round clash with Kei Nishikori of Japan.

Nishikori, who like the other top-four seeds received a first-round bye, defends his Memphis crown after helping Japan beat Canada in the first round of the Davis Cup earlier this month. Baghdatis beat US qualifier Rajeev Ram 6-3, 6-4 to book a second-round date with Lleyton Hewitt.

Karlovic, on the other hand, blasted 14 aces to beat Aussie Matthew Ebden 7-5, 6-4, and advanced to a second-round meeting with  Feliciano Lopez.

Meanwhile, Kazak eighth seed Mikhail Kukushkin advanced by defeating Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 7-6 (11/9), 7-5.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2014.

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