Verdasco goes out of Memphis tournament

Second seed Fernando Verdasco crashed out in the first round at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis today.

Canada’s Milos Raonic stunned the Spaniard 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7/5) in just over two hours.

Raonic’s serving was key to his victory, winning 83% of first-serve points and ensuring he was not made to pay for only converting one of his 10 break points.

In the second round, fourth-seeded American Mardy Fish battled back from losing the first set to beat Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 6-7 (5/7) 6-4 7-6 (7/3).

Fish carved out 14 break points, but took only three of them, two in the set he lost.

Elsewhere in the first round, former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro swept aside sixth seed John Isner 6-4 6-3, breaking the big-serving American three times and not dropping his serve once.

Two more seeds, Yen-Hsun Lu and Xavier Malisse, also went out.

Australia’s Leyton Hewitt beat Lu, the seventh seed, 6-4 7-6 (7/3), while ninth-seeded Belgian Malisse retired with France’s Florent Serra leading their match 6-2 1-0.

In the second round Robert Kendrick saw off fellow American James Blake 7-6 (7/5) 6-3.

In the second round of the Cellular South Cup, American third seed Melanie Oudin went out, defeated by Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina.

Rodina broke seven times on her way to a 6-1 7-5 win in just under one-and-a-half hours.

Sixth-seeded Canadian Rebecca Marino survived a second-set scare to progress, seeing off Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-2 4-6 6-3.

Lucie Hradecka beat fellow Czech Sandra Zahlavova 6-4 6-3, American Coco Vandeweghe crushed compatriot Alexandra Stevenson 6-2 6-2 and British qualifier Heather Watson was a 6-2 5-7 6-4 winner over Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France.