Roddick safely wins Tokyo opener in return

Tokyo: Second seed Andy Roddick blazed through to the second round of the Japan Open with a 6-4 6-3 win over wildcard Tatsuma Ito on Tuesday.

The big-serving American was never threatened in his first match since losing in the second round of the US Open more than a month ago, blasting 10 aces in a comfortable victory. Roddick closed out proceedings with another blistering ace after one hour and 22 minutes before pronouncing himself satisfied at his match fitness. “It felt pretty much like I expected it would coming off a long layoff,” the world number 10 told reporters. “Since New York I’ve been working on getting back into physical shape and I feel like I’ve been able to do that. “Last year I missed a third of the year post-US Open with a knee injury so this year (late season) it’s all bonus for me. “Even though my ranking is lower than it normally is it’s an important time to pick up some points.” World number one Rafa Nadal was playing his opening match at the $1.2 million tournament against Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo later on Tuesday. Bureau Report