Two of the bigger draws at the 2012 Citi Open advanced on Monday night as Americans James Blake and Sloane Stephens held on to win their matches in the third set. Blake defeated Spaniard Pablo Andujar 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. He'll now face the winner of the Marco Chiudinelli and Horacio Zeballos match. Blake cruised over the final two sets, converting nine aces and holding serve on the hardcourt. While Blake moved on, fellow American Brian Baker was knocked out by Florent Serra 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Unlike Blake, Stephens roared out to a quick start against Sesil Karatantcheva before hitting a bump in the second set. The promising teenager rebounded in the third set to advance with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory. Stephens is seeded third but is the top draw on the women's side. She lost four straight games in the second set before regrouping to show off that wealth of talent that tennis fans have glimpsed this season -- particularly at the All-England club before she was bounced in the third round by Sabine Lisicki.
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