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Washington
US top seed John Isner and French second seed Gael Monfils cruised into the third round of the ATP and WTA Washington Open on Wednesday but former world number one Caroline Wozniacki dropped out due to injury while leading.
Isner, coming off heartbreaking Wimbledon and Davis Cup defeats, fired 14 aces and dropped only three points on his first serve in a 6-3, 6-4 romp over Australian qualifier James Duckworth.
"I'm happy I got through my first match. I can get tripped up in those,"Isner said."I'm not looking past anyone."
Flamboyant Monfils, who had lost three matches in a row after suffering a mystery illness, fired 10 aces and lost only two points on his first serves in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Taiwan's Lu Yen-hsun.
"I played a very solid match,"Monfils said."I was surprised I could play that good so soon and I want to keep it going for the next few matches."
Wozniacki, a two-time US Open runner-up from Denmark, was leading 7-5, 3-4, when a left arm injury forced her to retire from her second-round match against Aussie top seed Samantha Stosur, the 2011 US Open winner.
"It happened at 5-all in the first set,"Wozniacki said."I hit a backhand and I just felt the pain."
Wozniacki, who has battled injuries all year, fought into the second set but could not stand the pain. At 58th, she is out of the world top 50 for the first time since 2008.
"I'll take it and try to run with it as far as I can,"said Stosur, who faces US wildcard Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.
Next for Monfils is Croatian 16th seed Borna Coric, who downed Japan's Yuichi Sugita 6-4, 6-4. Isner will meet Cypriot 15th seed Marcos Baghdatis, who ousted Australian John Millman 6-2, 6-4, for a quarter-final berth.
Aussie third seed Bernard Tomic fired 12 aces in beating American Donald Young 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to book a third-round date with Croatian 13th seed Ivo Karlovic, who blasted 19 aces in beating American Brian Baker 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
German 19-year-old seventh seed Alexander Zverev beat US 18-year-old Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-2. Zverev, ranked 27th, is the youngest to crack the world top 30 since Nadal in 2005.
"I'm happy with the way I'm playing,"Zverev said."It's a great start to the hardcourts."
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