News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

Home  » Sports » Roddick rolls into final four

Roddick rolls into final four

August 04, 2007 09:06 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:

Andy Roddick rolled into the semi-finals of the Washington Open but second seed Tommy Haas and number three Marat Safin were ousted on Friday from the US Open tune-up.

Roddick fired 16 aces to defeat South Korea's Lee Hyung-taik for the 10th time in 11 career meetings, 7-6, 6-2.

"That was by far the best I've hit the ball this tournament," said Roddick.

"He gets into a groove sometimes and you just have to stay the course and wait for the opportunities. I did a good job of that.

"I felt like I was in control of my service games and even when I was down I felt like I controlled the pace of the match."

In Saturday's semis, Roddick will face Ivo Karlovic, the hard-serving Croatian who escaped with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 quarter-final victory over Paul Capdeville of Chile.

Haas went out to 416th-ranked John Isner, a 6 ft 9 ins American playing in just his second ATP event. Isner blasted 30 aces to subdue the German 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 in a two-hour, 27-minute match on a steamy day in Washington. 

"He's got a big game," admitted Haas. "His serve is a huge, huge weapon. He's got to be happy about his third-set tiebreakers this week.

"Confidence does a lot for you. I'm sure he's feeling pretty good right now."

Next up for Isner will be Frenchman Gael Monfils, the ninth seed who recorded 14 aces to beat Safin 6-3, 7-5.

Isner, a crowd favourite in underdog-loving Washington, won his third-set tiebreak 7-5 when Haas could not control a blistering serve to his backhand.

A finalist in the 2007 NCAA singles tournament with the University of Georgia, Isner has won all four of his matches this week by clinching third-set tiebreaks.

He opened with a victory over Britain's Tim Henman before toppling Benjamin Becker of Germany and American qualifier Wayne Odesnik.

"Tommy's a great player, having won so many tournaments after playing so well for so long," said Isner, who was granted a wild card into the tournament when Fernando Gonzalez withdrew with a sore back.

"He's just so steady out there with his serve. But my serve kept me in the match. This is a dream come true. I can't believe I won in that fashion once again."

Haas, ranked 12th in the world, was playing in his first tournament since withdrawing prior to his fourth-round match at Wimbledon with a torn stomach muscle.

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Paris Olympics 2024

India's Tour Of Australia 2024-25