ATP Atlanta - James Blake vs. Matthew Ebden (18:00 BST)

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by Crunch Sports Staff

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Expect James Blake to see off Matthew Ebden today in Atlanta (credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

James Blake takes on Matthew Ebden later today looking to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Atlanta Tennis Championships (18:00 BST start).

Blake, who is still recovering from knee surgery and is battling a sore shoulder, showed that there's life in the old dog yet with a 1-6 6-3 7-5 win over 20-year-old Ryan Harrison on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old had to have surgery last November to remove part of his patella tendon and he swiftly found that he couldn't mix it with Harrison from the back of the court, adopting a net-rushing strategy in the second set which threw the youngster off his rhythm.

"My knee hasn't been that far off, but it's been far enough off that it's affected me," Blake said on Tuesday night.

"When that starts getting better, my shoulder starts giving me problems, and it makes me realize I'm not 20, like Ryan, anymore.

"I need to be moving forward, I need to be aggressive, I need to be getting to the net. Even if I'm not hitting a volley, if the approach shot is the winner, I need to be moving forward."

Ebden snapped a three-match losing streak with a 5-7 6-1 6-1 first round win over qualifier Sergey Bubka.

Prediction: Blake in two.

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