AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Sam Querrey and Robby Ginepri of the United States each beat New Zealand wild-card opponents Monday to reach the second round of the Heineken Open.
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The sixth-seeded Querrey served six aces but mixed his all-court game to beat 463rd-ranked Dan King-Turner 6-4, 7-5. The unseeded Ginepri beat 413th-ranked Rubin Statham 6-2, 6-3.
Querrey's powerful serve was the key to his defeat of King-Turner, putting the New Zealander on the defensive.
"I'm happy with my serve. That's my weapon, and if it's not working I tend to struggle," Querrey said.
Querrey, who won his first ATP title and made his Davis Cup debut in 2008, took advantage of a single service break in the seventh game to win the first set in 34 minutes.
He broke again in the first game of the second set but gave up serve in the 10th game to even the match at 5-5. He immediately broke King-Turner again, then served out the match on his first match point, finishing with a crashing crosscourt volley.
"He definitely played well," Querrey said. "I was here last year and saw him then, so I knew he was a dangerous player."
Querrey said he wasn't fazed by the strong crowd support for the New Zealander.
"When I play in the States, I have the crowd behind me. Dan has one tournament a year, so he deserves it," he said.
Querrey said he was happy with his game as he worked toward the Australian Open, where he reached the third round last year.
"I've trained really hard in November and December, and hopefully that will pay off during the year," he said.
Ginepri gained an early service break in the opening set against Statham and easily closed out the set. He exchanged service breaks with the New Zealander in the fifth and sixth games of the second set, then lifted his game to sweep the next three games.
Earlier Monday, American John Isner, who won the USTA wild-card tournament to gain entry to the Australian Open, beat Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3) in his final qualifying match to earn a place in the main draw.
