Tennis

Kudla into 2nd round of Memphis Open

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:02 p.m. ET

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) No. 5 seed Denis Kudla moved into the second round of the Memphis Open with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Rajeev Ram on Monday.

Kudla, seeded in an ATP World Tour event for the first time, broke Ram's serve to open the second set. The 23-year-old American finished with five aces and did not face a break point.

Kudla, who was born in Ukraine, had a breakout year in 2015. He reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and advanced to the semifinals of Atlanta, a 250 Tour-level event like Memphis.

Kei Nishikori, the top seed and three-time defending champion, received a first-round bye and won't play his opening match until Wednesday. He is ranked seventh in the world.

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