Roddick, Federer advance in Switzerland

Andy Roddick came out on top in a big-serving encounter with fellow American Sam Querrey while Roger Federer cruised into the quarter-finals at the Swiss Indoors on Wednesday.

Fourth-seeded Roddick sent down 16 aces and dropped just six first-service points in a 7-5 7-6 (8-6) win over 22nd-ranked Querrey, who served 13 aces.

Roddick, who next faces Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan in the second round, has returned to Basel after seven years in hopes of claiming one of the last three berths in the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals in London this month. Roddick was currently eighth in the standings.

Top seed Federer eased past Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic, requiring a single break in each set to complete a 6-3 6-4 win in St Jakobshalle.

Federer served even more efficiently than Roddick, conceding just seven points in nine service games. He sealed the first set with an ace and clinched the match with a service winner.

The hometown favourite, and FC Basel fan, had his second-round match scheduled earlier in the evening to avoid clashing with the team’s Champions League fixture against AS Roma being played across the street at the St. Jakob Park stadium.

Ninety minutes after leaving the court, Federer was seated alongside his parents at the football game as his Wimbledon conqueror Tomas Berdych was eliminated.

Berdych, the No. 3 seed, slumped to a 6-4 6-1 loss against Tobias Kamke, the 72nd-ranked German who entered the main draw as a lucky loser in qualifying.

Eighth-seeded American John Isner paid for squandering all eight of his chances to break Robin Haase’s serve. The Dutchman closed out a 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 win to join Federer in the last eight.

In other first-round matches, another lucky loser advanced as France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu won 6-3 6-3 against Germany’s Florian Mayer, a beaten finalist against Federer in Stockholm last month.

Wildcard Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic beat Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-3 7-6 (7-5) and Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen defeated Germany’s Daniel Brands 6-3 6-2 in a match between qualifiers.

Murray, Youzhny and Verdasco out in Valencia

Defending champion Andy Murray and ATP finals hopefuls Mikhail Youzhny and Fernando Verdasco all made surprise early exits from the Valencia Open on Wednesday.

World number four and top seed Murray fell 6-2 3-6 6-2 to Argentine Juan Monaco in the second round, while world number 10 Youzhny pulled out at the start of the day with a back problem.

The Russian was due to play Uruguayan qualifier Pablo Cuevas in his opening match, but had to give his place over to Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas who lost 6-3 6-4.

Spaniard Verdasco, the third seed and world number seven, was crushed 6-1 6-3 by Frenchman Gilles Simon.

Youzhny and Verdasco’s exits damaged their chances of making the season-ending ATP finals later this month, as they fought for the three remaining berths in London. David Ferrer and Nikolay Davydenko have the chance to push their claims for London in the quarter-finals on Thursday, when second seed Soderling also plays.