Third seed James Blake breezed into the second round of the Kroger St. Jude in Memphis with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Czech Jiri Vanek.

Blake, a finalist Memphis last year, took just 39 minutes to earn a meeting with Irakli Labadze, making the perfect start to the match with four consecutive aces in the opening game.

"I've never started off with four aces before, so I was rolling," said Blake. "It's what you like to see in the first round. I came out and played well and maybe caught him on the hop because he's just come off clay and it's hard to get used to."

Blake, who lost to Andy Roddick in the final 12 months ago, won the first set in just 16 minutes, losing just four points on his serve and broke in the sixth game of the set. He was even more emphatic in the second, losing just three points on his serve and only 10 in the entire set.

Expectations

"It feels great to go out there and play my game," said Blake, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open in January. "Reaching the final last year made me feel like I belong up there with those guys at the top, and hopefully I can get there again this year.

"But I don't have any expectations. Labadze can hit the ball as hard as anyone, so I'm going to have to play just as well tomorrow."

Also through to the second is No. 5 seed Jan-Michael Gambill, who had a much tougher test against Croatia's Zeljko Krajan. Gambill lost the first set and was down a break in the second before fighting his way back into the match, winning in a minute past the two-hour mark.

"I came out against a tough opponent today," said Gambill, who meets fellow American Taylor Dent in the second round. "He runs very well and hit some good shots from the baseline. He also returns serve better than a lot of guys, so I'm happy to get through alive."

Gambill, who has been suffering with shin problems for the last few months, added: "I was a little tired out there. Getting through a match like this definitely helps, but tomorrow I will feel better."

Sanguinetti Overcomes Martin

Former finalist Davide Sanguinetti continued his impressive indoor form after defeating two-time champion Todd Martin 7-6(1), 6-3.

Sanguinetti, who lost to Mark Philippoussis in the 2001 final, avenged his loss to Martin in the second round last year.

"Now we're even," said Sanguinetti, who reached the final in San Jose last week. "I think I played pretty consistently throughout the match. I started well, I had two break points in the first set and he hit the lines and played a good game. But I managed to control the points from the baseline and return well, so that was the key today."

Martin, who reached four consecutive finals between 1993-96 with back-to-back championships in 1994-95, had no complaints. "I thought he played great," said Martin. "He passes very well, he served great and he came up with the big shots when he needed them today. I didn't make enough opportunities for myself to capitalize."

Sanguinetti now goes on to play Robby Ginepri for a place in the quarterfinals.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Sydney champion Hyung-Taik Lee set up a second round clash against top seed and defending champion Andy Roddick after defeating Justi Gimelstob in straight sets, while recent San Jose semifinalist Vladimir Voltchkov overcame American wild card Bob Bryan 6-3, 6-3.