Nadal, Roddick, Blake Open Play in Miami

In the first men’s match on Stadium, American James Blake plays Frenchman Florent Serra for the third time – also for the third time in the second round of an ATP Masters Series event. Serra won their first meeting 6-4, 7-6(3) last May in Rome, while Blake won two weeks ago in Indian Wells, 6-3, 7-6(2).

Blake, 27, enters with a 14-6 season record and is coming off a third-round exit at Indian Wells (l. to Benneteau). He opened the season by defending the Sydney title in January (d. Moya) and was runner-up at Delray Beach in February (l. to Malisse). Blake won five titles last year, tying him for second with Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko behind Roger Federer with 12. Blake has a career record of 8-5 in Miami, falling to Federer in the quarterfinals last year.

Serra, 26, is off to a 6-8 start this season and is looking to advance beyond the second round for the first time this year. He defeated Australian qualifier Chris Guccione 6-7(6), 7-6(8), 6-4 in his opener Wednesday. Last year in his Miami debut, Serra reached the third round, defeating compatriots Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet before losing to Croat Mario Ancic, 6-7(4), 7-6(11), 2-6. Serra won his second career crown at Adelaide in the first week of the 2006 season.

In the next match, Spaniard Rafael Nadal brings in a 2-0 career record against Brazilian qualifier Ricardo Mello. Both encounters came in 2005, on clay in the Costa do Sauipe semifinals and on hard courts in the second round of ATP Masters Series Canada.

Nadal, the 2005 runner-up (l. to Federer), is chasing back-to-back ATP Masters Series shields after winning his first Indian Wells title Sunday (d. Djokovic). The title was the Spaniard’s first since defending his Roland Garros crown last June (d. Federer).

Nadal, 20, is off to a 15-4 start this season. He began the year with an appearance in the Chennai semifinals (l. to Malisse), and also reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open (l. to Gonzalez) and Dubai (l. to Youzhny). Nadal has a career mark of 7-3 in Miami, and fell in his second round opener last year to compatriot Carlos Moya.

Mello, 26, has a 2-2 career mark in Miami, bowing out in the second round in 2004 (l. to Srichaphan) and 2005 (l. to Ancic). His only other ATP-level tournament appearance this season came in Vina del Mar, where he compiled a 1-1 record. Mello, currently ranked No. 127, defeated Czech Jan Hernych 6-1, 7-6(3) in the first round.

In the evening session, American Andy Roddick and Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello face off for the first time in their careers.

Roddick, 24, is off to an 18-4 start this year, placing him among the 2007 ATP match wins leaders behind Tommy Haas (20) and Andy Murray (19). Roddick has fallen to the eventual champion in his four tournament appearances this season. He finished as runner-up in Memphis (l. to Haas) and reached the semifinals in his other three events, at Indian Wells (l. to Nadal), San Jose (l. to Murray) and the Australian Open (l. to Federer).

Roddick has a 15-6 career mark in Miami since making his event debut in 2000, and won the title in 2004 (d. Coria). Last year, he lost in the quarterfinals to Spaniard David Ferrer 3-6, 6-4, 4-6.

Vassallo Arguello, 27, has a 6-7 record to begin the season. He reached a career-high No. 61 in the ATP Rankings on February 5, 2007, after reaching his first ATP-level semifinals at Vina del Mar (l. to Horna) and winning the Santiago Challenger a week earlier (d. Fognini). The Argentine made his Miami debut Wednesday by posting a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Korean Hyung-Taik Lee.

Vassallo Arguello finished in the ATP year-end Top 100 in 2006, and posted a career best Grand Slam result at Roland Garros by reaching the fourth round (l. to Nalbandian).

Among other top seeds playing Friday, No. 5 Fernando Gonzalez faces Thomas Johansson on Grandstand Court, No. 10 Novak Djokovic faces Daniele Bracciali on Court 2 and No. 12 Andy Murray faces Paul Goldstein on Court 1. Also in action on Grandstand are No. 17 Marcos Baghdatis, No. 18 Lleyton Hewitt and No. 25 Marat Safin.