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AUCKLAND - - Sam Querrey of the United States beat New Zealand wild card Dan King-Turner 6-4, 7-5 on Monday to reach the second round of the Heineken Open.
Sixth-seeded Querrey - ranked 39th in the world - served six aces, but struggled to find his all-court game in the win over the 463rd-ranked New Zealander in 1 hour, 15 minutes.
"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 lost his serve in the 10th game, placing himself under a small amount of pressure 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 put off 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."
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.
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 at Auckland.
-AP
