Russell advances at Atlanta tennis

ATLANTA, Georgia (AFP) - Michael Russell won the first match of the pre-US Open summer hardcourt season Monday, starting the ATP Atlanta Championships with a 6-0, 6-3 thrashing of fellow American Donald Young.

Russell, 33, won his first main-draw match since early June at Queen's club with his 72-minute hammering of one-time prodigy Young.

Russell advanced on the first of three match points in steamy, hot conditions after breaking the hapless Young five times.

He will next play South African second seed Kevin Anderson, a 2010 semi-finalist in the event's inaugural edition. The 123rd-ranked Young lost his tenth match of the season.

The defending champion, American Mardy Fish, is top seed as he returns from a week of rest due to a lingering abdominal muscle strain. Fish beat Wimbledon marathon man John Isner in last year's final.

Fish joked on Monday that North Carolina-born Isner who went to university in Georgia before moving onto the ATP is a favourite almost everywhere he goes in the US.

"The guy has ten hometowns," quipped Fish, who starts on Wednesday after a bye awarded to the leading four seeds. "He's from everywhere."

Luxembourg's Gilles Muller eliminated the week's first seed as he put out number seven Alex Bogomolov of the US 6-3, 7-6 (8/6).

Second seed Isner is pleased to be back in his southern heartland after winning a grass title a week ago in Newport. He makes his hardcourt start against James Blake, who beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2.

"I don't really care what surface it's on so I'm coming to this event with the most confidence I've had all year," said the big man, who set a record with the longest match ever at Wimbledon in 2010 against Nicloas Mahut.

"Up to last week the year had been a disappointment so it was good to get that win under my belt. It takes a lot of pressure off so I can go out there and free up and just play."

In other matches Monday, Japan's Tatsuma Ito defeated Michael Berrer of Germany 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 and Somdev Devvarman of India beat Ryan Sweeting of the US 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.