Upbeat Davydenko sprints into second round

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nikolay Davydenko, eager to bury a dismal run of recent form, charged impressively into the second round of the U.S. Open by despatching Israel's Dudi Sela 6-3 6-3 6-3 on Wednesday.

The fifth-seeded Russian has not won back-to-back matches since winning a low-key claycourt tournament in Warsaw in June but appeared to have regained his touch against the 76th-ranked Sela.

Davydenko's only stutter came when he was broken while serving for the match when leading 5-2 in the third set but he quickly recovered to end his opponent's challenge in the next game.

"It was very important for me that I play very well here, to come back as a top-10 player and play very good," the 27-year-old told reporters.

"I played good for a first round because I can be nervous and my confidence is not so great at the beginning of a tournament. I played well all three sets, fighting well with very good concentration."

Davydenko said he had been especially motivated to rediscover better form after a miserable run following his first-round loss to German Benjamin Becker at Wimbledon in June.

MENTALLY LOST