Andy Roddick withstood 17 aces from Mardy Fish to advance to the second round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships Tuesday. Roddick, who fired 12 aces himself, triumphed 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) after 2 hours, 15 minutes in a match that featured just one break of serve in the first set.

Fish staved off three consecutive break points at 1-2 0/40 in the third set and the match continued on serve until the tie-break, where Roddick's match toughness proved telling.

Fish, who was playing just his third match of the year, played several loose points to fall behind 0-6 in the tie-break.

Earlier in the day Belgian Kristof Vliegen upset fifth seed James Blake 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round.

Vliegen, who improved to 8-4 on the year, has survived the first round in four of the five events he has played this season. The 23-year-old reached the semifinals of Chennai in the first week of the season and last week reached the quarterfinals in San Jose.

Blake slipped to 9-4 on the season and endured his second consecutive upset loss in the first round, having lost to Yeu-Tzuoo Wang in San Jose.

Earlier in the day Swede Robin Soderling crushed 2005 Memphis finalist Max Mirnyi 6-0, 6-1 to reach the second round. Soderling improved to 32-14 career indoors compared to a 30-47 record outdoors.

"I played one of my best matches ever. I returned really well and served really well," Soderling said.

Fourth seed Robby Ginepri slumped to 1-4 on the year when beaten by Russian Dmitry Tursunov 7-5, 7-6(4). Tursunov has been in hot early season form, and is now 9-5 on the year.

Tursunov began the season with back-to-back quarterfinals in Doha and Sydney and is on track to top his best match record in a season (17-15 in 2005).

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