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                <p>HOUSTON, Texas (AFP) – Mardy Fish made a victorious debut as America's top-ranked men's tennis player, defeating Albert Ramos in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals of the US Clay Court Championships.</p>
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Fish, the top seed in this $442,500 ATP event, on Thursday defeated Ramos 6-3, 6-4, turning back a late charge that saw the Spaniard pull back from 5-1 down in the second set to 5-4.</p>
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"Naturally, you think, 6-3, 5-1 and you figure the finish line is pretty close. You've got to keep your foot on the gas a little more," said Fish, who had a first-round bye. "But he played better at the end. He has nothing to lose at that point. We've all been there."</p>
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Fish, who won this title in 2006, arrived in Houston ranked 11th in the world after reaching the semi-finals of the Miami Masters last week.</p>
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With Andy Roddick's fall from eighth to 14th, Fish is the top-ranked US man for the first time in his career.</p>
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But Fish admitted he found it difficult to make the transition from the Miami hard courts to clay.</p>
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"You forget how physical it is and how patient you have to be and how points don't just end as quickly as they do on hard courts," he said. "You walk off any time with a win on clay court and you are pretty satisfied."</p>
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Fish will face sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan on Friday.</p>
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Nishikori beat Igor Andreev of Russia 6-3, 6-3.</p>
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Third-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain also reached the quarter-finals, overcoming five double-faults in a 6-4, 6-1 victory over India's Somdev Devvarman.</p>
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"I played pretty consistent and it was a solid match for my first time on clay this year," Garcia-Lopez said. "Overall, I am happy with the start. I look forward to the quarter-finals."</p>
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Seventh-seeded Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay cruised to a 7-5, 6-1 victory over American James Blake. Cuevas, who defeated Roddick in Miami, had six aces as he dominated the second set.</p>
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