Blake cruises into 2nd round in LA

Blake, who has plummeted to 117th in the world from a high of world number four, is hoping that a good run in Los Angeles will help him regain his form.

“I'm really happy with the way I played,” said Blake, who is just 9-10 on the season so far.

“I went into the match with the goal of just controlling my side of the court and playing with the right kind of energy. I'm back to feeling healthy and I want to just play that way without the huge expectations or anything, just playing my game. I did it and it worked out well today.”

Robby Ginepri beat Ilija Bozoljack of Serbia 6-3, 6-4 and Ryan Sweeting outlasted Kristof Vliegen of Belgium 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Somdev Devvarman of India knocked off Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4.

Britain's Andy Murray is the top seed in the tournament as he makes his Los Angeles debut here. This year's field lacks star power as Murray (No. 4) is the lone player ranked in the top 15 in the world entered. Murray is playing his first tournament since reaching the semis at Wimbledon.

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic was also expected to compete in Los Angeles but withdrew because of personal reasons. American eighth seed Mardy Fish pulled out Monday. The festivities at UCLA kicked off Saturday with an exhibition match between U.S. tennis legends John McEnroe and Andre Agassi designed to raise money for Agassi's charity.

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