WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The biggest news at a soggy Winston-Salem Open on Monday wasnt made by who advanced. It was who pulled out. Two-time defending champion John Isner and top seed Tomas Berdych withdrew from the tournament. After the days early matches were delayed 4 hours, 10 minutes due to rain, James Blake beat fellow American Rhyne Williams 6-1, 7-5, in a first-round match. But the days big story was the withdrawals of the two players who met in last years final: Isner pulled out with a hip injury, and Berdych withdrew with right shoulder pain. Isner beat Berdych in last years championship match. Both players said they wanted to be healthy for the U.S. Open, which begins next week. That leaves the tournament without its two highest-ranked players, and perhaps its biggest draws. Isner, a Greensboro native, considers this his hometown tournament and called it "one of my favourite tournaments of the year." He won this event in each of its first two years of existence. He withdrew one day after falling to Rafael Nadal in the Western & Southern Open final in Cincinnati. Injuries kept him from playing two other majors -- the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Berdych moved up one spot to fifth in the ATP rankings released Monday. Isner jumped eight spots to No. 14. The highest-ranked player remaining in the field is fourth-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain at No. 22. Also in the first round, qualifier Steve Johnson beat fellow American Bobby Reynolds 6-1, 6-2, and German David Goffin advanced when American Jack Sock withdrew in the third set with Goffin leading 4-6, 6-3, 1-0. Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain defeated Danish qualifier Frederik Nielsen 6-1, 6-3. Qualifier Thiemo de Bakker beat Igor Sijsling 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a matchup of players from the Netherlands; and Nicolas Mahut of France topped Polands Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 6-1. Three seeded players had second-round matches later Monday night with the rest playing Tuesday. Cheap Shoes NZ . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Discount Adidas Shoes NZ Free Shipping . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. http://www.adidasshoessalenz.com/ . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Wholesale Shoes NZ Online .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Adidas Shoes NZ . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. It has been confirmed that Williams technical director Pat Symonds will leave the team at the end of this year.Symonds joined Williams on a three-year deal at the end of 2013 and is set to depart when that contract expires on December 31, 2016. Under his technical direction, Williams has returned to the front half of the grid and finished third in the constructors championship in 2014 and 2015 before slipping to fifth this year.Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe has been linked to a top job at Williams next season and Symonds departure could be the first concrete sign that the deal is going ahead.Pat has been a tremendous asset to this team over the past three years, deputy team principal Claire Williams said. Pats appointment was the start of a major restructuring exercise, and he has been pivotal in reshaping Williams into what is a much stronger racing team today.I would like to thank him for alll his hard work and commitment during that time.dddddddddddd We now look to the future and will be announcing details regarding the teams technical leadership in due course.Symonds joined the team from Virgin Racing in 2013, which was his first job back in Formula One following his involvement in the Renault Crashgate scandal in 2008. In 2009 Symonds was suspended from working in the sport by the FIA for his role in the incident, but the ban was overturned the following year and Symonds was paid compensation.Earlier in his career, Symonds had been one of the key Renault personnel behind Fernando Alonsos championship successes in 2005 and 2006 as well as Michael Schumachers title victories a decade earlier in 1994 and 1995 when the team was running under the Benetton name. ' ' '