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5/8/09 2:07 AM | Cheryl Murray
American James Blake won yet another clay match on Thursday with a straight set victory over Marc Gicquel.
American James Blake has struggled on clay throughout his career. His start to the 2009 clay season did little to change the perception that he cannot play on the dirt. Blake lost in the first round to 113 ranked Guillermo Canas and No. 112 Victor Crivoi in Rome. His first clay win of the year was on Wednesday, when he beat Portugal’s Frederico Gil.
Marc Gicquel is every bit the hard-courter that Blake is. The both hit bit, hard forehands and they rely heavily on a power game to win matches. Both men made it through the first set without dropping serve to force an opening set tie-breaker. Gicquel was the first to draw blood with a mini-break; the Frenchman had 4-2, but Blake won the break back. After 4 set points, the American finally took the set.
Blake rode a wave of confidence into the second set. Gicquel had no break point chances in the second, while Blake converted 2 of 5 to seal the match with a double break. The American will take on No. 8 seed Florent Serra in the quarterfinals.
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