Tomas Berdych claimed victory in his opening match of the SAP Open in San Jose after the fifth seed edged out Wayne Odesnik in a hard-fought match.
The 24-year-old looked on course for an easy win after cruising through the first set 6-1.
However Odesnik began to battle back and after a tense tie-break, the American claimed the second set 7-6 (7-5).
Crucial
The final set was a tight affair with both players giving little away, but it was the world number 23 who made the crucial break of serve in the decider to win 7-5.
The win means Berdych has set up a second-round tie against Jarkko Nieminen, who defeated German Lars Poerschke 3-6 6-3 6-2.
Elsewhere in the opening rounds, Leonardo Mayer of Argentina could face the tournaments top seed Andy Roddick, after the 22-year-old defeated Ernests Gulbis 7-5 6-4.
