Roddick chalks up big ace donation to flood relief in Queensland

BRISBANE - Top seed Andy Roddick rained down 15 aces as the defending champion moved into the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International tennis over Ukrainian Alexandre Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-1 Wednesday.

Roddick is hoping to put a modest 2010 well into the background as he returns to the scene of one of his two titles form last season.

Roddick is donating 100 dollars for each ace he strikes to Queensland flood victims. “It’s a very small part what we’re doing here,” said the American.

“Hopefully it’s a win-win. I know if I hit a lot of aces it helps more… normally if that’s the case I win tennis matches so hopefully it ends up being of some help.”

In other second-round contests, German seventh seed Florian Mayer advanced over Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 while Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo end the run of Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 in the wake of the German’s upset of Spanish seed Fernando Verdasco.

Another Iberian exited, with South African Kevin Anderson defeating Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-1.

Hard luck for home players continues as Jelena Dokic was crushed while Sally peers lost a day after the shock exit of top seed Samantha Stosur.

Dokic lost to German Andrea Petkovic 6-0, 6-1 while Peers was eliminated by Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-1.

Dokic, a sentimental favourite for Aussie fans, claimed illness.”I wasn’t in the match at all,” said the Serb-born player. “I struggled, but I don’t like to make excuses for anything.

“When you are playing a top 35 player you have to have everything to give, and I think it was obvious that I couldn’t hit the ball so well. There is a lot of work to do and I will continue to work on everything.”

Petkovic gets another local when she plays Jarmila Groth in the quarter-finals.

In other results, number 31 Dominka Cibulkova defeated Italian number 32 Roberta Vinci 6-2, 7-5. Fourth seed Marion Bartoli needed three sets to beat Czech Iveta Benesova 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.