Resurgent Hewitt, Isner, Odesnik Win at ATP Houston

It was some of the old and some of the new Wednesday on the red clay at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, where former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and American up-and-comer John Isner advanced into the quarterfinals.
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Hewitt, written off by many this year after attempting to return from hip surgery, breezed past Argentina’s Sergio Roitman 6-1, 6-2.

“I’d rather get through as quickly as possible,” Hewitt told the media, “but I’ll take the wins any way I can get them. I probably could have closed it out a little more comfortably, but the conditions were blustery.”

Isner, who needed a wildcard into the main draw, served his way past Chile’s Paul Capdeville 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5). Isner will next face unseeded American Wayne Odesnik, who upending No. 3 seed Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 6-0.

“Today it was not about who was on the other side of the net,” Melzer said after getting bageled. “I was missing every third shot. It’s a shame this had to happen at one of my favorite tournaments.”

Spain’s Guillermo “G-Lo” Garcia-Lopez also orchestrated an upset, taking out No. 4-seeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 6-0.

Last year Odesnik advanced to the semis and held match points against eventual tournament winner Marcel Granollers, who went on to defeat James Blake in the final. Blake and fellow American seed Mardy Fish lost first round this year.