MADRID, 16 October 2003 — Second seed Andy Roddick needed 21 aces and 60 winners yesterday to get out of a jam in a match which started as a deceptively easy second-round match at the 2.45-million-euro Madrid Masters Series.

The US Open champion, playing his first ATP match since his Grand Slam victory more than a month ago, finally worked his way out of danger to defeat big-hitting Max Mirnyi 6-1, 6-7 (9-11), 7-5.

It was a two-hour battle for the second seed, who swept through the opening set only to suddenly encounter resistance from the world No. 24 which took another 90 minutes to ultimately control.

American Robby Ginepri, better known for his British actress girlfriend Minnie Driver than for his game, began changing that perception as he knocked off fourth seed Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 6-4.

France’s Sebastien Grosjean, the sixth seed, was untroubled by Spain’s David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2 as the pair met for the first time. American Mardy Fish followed up on his first-round defeat of Briton Tim Henman as he ousted Spain’s 14th seed Tommy Robredo 7-6 (16-14), 6-2.

Dokic Fights Through to

Swisscom Quarterfinals

In Zurich, unseeded Jelena Dokic hit back to secure a place in the quarterfinals of the Swisscom Challenge yesterday with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 defeat of American Alexandra Stevenson.

Dokic, who was a beaten finalist here in 2001 but lost to Stevenson in the second round last year, recovered strongly from a set down to secure her first victory over the American on the indoor carpet surface.

Seventh seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia saw off the challenge of American Amy Frazier to progress into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory in the opening match of the day.

Stevenson, unseeded like Dokic, immediately showed her strengths when she fired three aces in her first service game having pushed Dokic all the way to deuce in the opening game. Stevenson broke serve in the fifth game when 20-year-old Dokic hit the ball long and the American finished the set with a comfortable love game.

In the last eight Zvonareva will play second-seed Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium or Israel’s Anna Pistolesi who were due to meet later.