Crowd favorite Andy Roddick had little trouble with Benjamin Becker last night, cruising to a straight set victory (6-3, 6-2) in his first match of the tournament. After an extended break since his defeat to Roger Federer in the Wimbeldon final, Roddick was far from the top of his service game, landing only 58 percent of his firsts and routinely hitting in the one hundred and teens — though at one point he did hit 145 mph on the radar gun. But his arching, powerful forehand and ability to paint the lines was more than enough for a victory in a tight 55 minutes. Speaking of his first match in four weeks, Roddick said that his “movement felt real good. I felt that I had decent control over spins and placement and good ball control.” He acknowledged the large stadium court crowd — organizers announced a sold-out evening — who rewarded him with thunderous applause that only grew louder when the emcee acknowledged his performance at Wimbledon last month.

With Wednesday’s main event unsurprisingly a cakewalk for the tournament’s top seed, the evening’s side court matches provided nail-biting volleys, marathon games, and packed bleachers filled with at times raucous fans right on top of the action. It’s an atmosphere only really achievable on the smaller courts and at American tourneys where excessive screaming can be (and is) part of the action.