Blake blasts past Mello to reach Indy quarters

The number 149 challenger had few chances against the second seed, who is looking for his second title of 2006.

Blake lost Sunday in the Los Angeles final to start his tune-up campaign for next month's US Open.

The American number nine said that he began slowly Thursday before building up for victory.

"It was a tentative start. We were feeling each other out," Blake said. "I had to attack and not fall into playing his game. He's a guy who can beat you if you do that."

Blake managed eight aces and never faced a break point in a 66- minute affair.

The seed let it flow at the end.

"I opened my game up a bit. After the first break of serve through, I felt the match was mine to take," Blake said.

He will next play teenaged compatriot Sam Querrey, who advanced 5- 7, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) in a battle of tree-top serves with Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic, the tallest man in tennis at 2.08 metres. The 20-year- old Querry stands 1.98 metres.

Querrey achieved back-to-back quarter-finals at the start of the year in Memphis and Las Vegas but broke further ground at Indy as he saved his first match points on the ATP.

The match lasted two hours, 20 minutes, with Querrey firing 14 aces to 17 aces for Karlovic.

"It feels great to be in a quarter-final again," said the winner.

"It was an exciting match with some big serves. I had some luck in the tiebreaker when he shanked a forehand wide. It came out my way today. His big serves are fine with me. They are more in my strike zone."

Querrey has all but forgotten his run of hard luck over the spring, which resulted in seven straight defeats, six of them on clay and grass.

Russian third seed Dmitry Tursunov gave up on a lost cause in the second set but stayed alive to win the third and clinch a 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 victory Thursday over Teimuraz Gabashvili.

Tursunov next plays Japanese qualifier Kei Nishikori, who beat German Michael Berrer 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

The first-time meeting between Russians was looking sweet for Tursunov as he captured the opening set, only to slump badly in the in the second.

But survival instincts kicked in as the number 27 saved his big push for a late winning run as he finished off the contest in less than 90 minutes.

"Down 5-0 in the second, I really didn't have much of a chance in that set," said Tursunov, winner of his lone ATP title in September 2006 in Mumbai.

"I was just looking forward to getting into the third. I was looking forward to it. I helped him finish off the second really fast. I was mentally ready to turn things around if I could." dpa /