Blake bounces Belgium's Vliegen in straight sets

James Blake can breathe easy tonight after securing a straight-set victory over Belgium's Kristof Vliegen. The 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win was a much-needed boost for the 30-year-old American, appearing in his 10th US Open.

Sidelined for two months with a knee injury, Blake's ATP ranking plummeted to 108th and he plays here as a Wild Card. He is also coming off a lackluster performance in the US Open Series that included first round losses in three tournaments. In other words, today's victory over Vliegen was far from assured.

But to the delight of the vocal and partisan crowd, Blake appeared in great form, hitting solid forehand strokes and racking up 38 winners to Vliegen's 18. He converted break chances in each of the first two sets to grab a comfortable lead and kept enough focus to avoid a fourth set.

Before today, Vliegen had won both of their previous meetings. The lanky 28-year-old has battled debilitating injuries of his own over the past year and has been largely relegated to the Challenger Circuit.

Blake lost here in the third round last year, but has made it to the Quarterfinals twice before, in 2005 and 2006.