ROME, May 8: In-form American teenager Andy Roddick overcome damp conditions and dangerous opponent Andrei Pavel 1-6 6-4 6-3 Wednesday to earn a place in the third round of Rome Masters Series tournament.

Play was held up until just before 4 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) by heavy rain and for much of the match Roddick and Pavel played in drizzle.

The Romanaian was unstoppable in the opening stages, racing to a 5-0 lead before Roddick began to turn the match around.

The 19-year-old American broke at the end of the second set and from then on looked the more likely winner as Pavel’s challenge faded.

Roddick, who won a claycourt title two weeks ago in Houston, said he was satisfied with the win but was downbeat about his chances of securing his first Masters Series title in Rome.

“My ambitions and expectations were to get through the first two rounds, so we’ll see,” he said. “I just want to stay healthy and play well and maybe try to win tomorrow.”

Roddick takes on either Yevgeny Kafelnikov or Wayne Ferreira for a place in the quarterfinals.—Reuters