Roddick advances in straight sets at U.S. Open

Updated: August 28, 2012, 3:43 PM ET

ESPN.com news services

NEW YORK -- Andy Roddick served 20 aces Tuesday to defeat 21-year-old American qualifier Rhyne Williams 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the U.S. Open.

Roddick, seeded 20th, won the last 16 points on his serve and finished the match with a 127-mph ace.

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It was a tough way to make a Grand Slam debut for Williams, the NCAA runner-up in 2011, who won three matches in qualifying, then learned he had a first-round matchup with the 2003 champion in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Williams, ranked 289th coming into the week, put in a respectable performance, but dropped a break in each set. He'll still earn $23,000 as a first-round loser in the year's final Grand Slam.

Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, sixth seed Tomas Berdych and No. 15 Milos Raonic also won their first-round matches Tuesday.

Tsonga beat qualifier Karol Beck 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (2), rallying from down a break in the third set. Both players had 36 unforced errors, but Tsonga had 41 winners to 25 for Beck.

The Frenchman made the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open last year, his best showing at Flushing Meadows.

The 143rd-ranked Beck, from Slovakia, reached the round of 16 at the 2004 Open, but the 30-year-old has lost in the first round in 16 of his 24 Grand Slam appearances.

Raonic won a match at the U.S. Open for the first time with a five-set victory over Santiago Giraldo.

The Canadian beat Giraldo 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in 3 hours, 25 minutes. The 21-year-old is ranked a career-best 16th.

Giraldo, a 46th-ranked Colombian, is 1-6 in his career in five-set matches.

Raonic had 30 aces, including four on second serves, but 15 double-faults. Raonic's average first serve was 123 mph to 103 mph for Giraldo.

Berdych beat 56th-ranked David Goffin of Belgium 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.

The 21-year-old Goffin had reached a career-high ranking after making the round of 16 at the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon. He was making his U.S. Open debut.

Berdych, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up from the Czech Republic, has never been past the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows.

Goffin converted just 2 of 18 break points. Berdych had 17 aces and 40 winners.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.