Harrison Tops Querrey In Auckland Opener

By James Waterson

(January 10, 2011) Rising star Ryan Harrison topped fellow American Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-3 to reach the second round of the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand on Tuesday.

The first set was evenly contested as Harrison won only one more point than Querrey. He also managed to break his compatriot’s serve twice while he dropped his own serve once, despite winning the same percentage of service points (59 percent).

Harrison’s effectiveness on serve increased dramatically in the second set. The 19-year-old lost only five points on his serve and he capitalized on one of his five break point chances to finish the match after one hour and 10 minutes.

The American will face eighth-seeded Philipp Kohlscheriber who beat Swiss qualifier Stephane Bohli 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Adrian Mannarino, ranked No. 87, earned the upset of the day when he vanquished fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3. Ninety-second-ranked Benoit Paire of France earned a good win of his own against 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-2, Potito Starace dismissed Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-2 and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez outlasted Igor Kunitsyn 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

On Wednesday, top-seeded David Ferrer begins his 2012 season against the Czech Republic’s Lukas Rosol, Nicolas Almagro faces Santiago Giraldo and Fernando Verdasco will take on Carlos Berlocq in the evening.