Roddick Advances to Quarterfinals

Andy Roddick suffered a ribcage injury that held him out of tennis for a while. He had been struggling with his game prior to the injury, and this was the icing on the cake. Roddick’s first round match in the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters was his first since being injured. His opponent was Daniele Bracciali, a player very similar to himself. Roddick struggled through the whole match but was able to hold his serve every single time. The match came down to the third and final set, and a tiebreaker. Roddick won the match by this skin of his teeth and was grateful.

Moving on to the round of 16 and Belgian Kristof Vliegan, Roddick would have to play much better. This match Roddick came out with a new plan. After new coach Jimmy Connors questioned his motive in the first match, Roddick played much more agressive and ended up much more successful. He approached the net 25 times against Vliegan and won 18 of those points. Against Bracciali Roddick only played 18 net points. The difference may seem small, but against Vliegan, Roddick won in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Roddick held his serve every time once again and Vliegan could not get Roddick into the ground game. Andy Roddick looked like he was returning to his old form.

Roddick’s quarterfinal match tonight was against Juan Ignacio Chela. Roddick won in straight sets and stayed aggressive at the net. He played 20 points there and won 17 of them. He also had 10 aces and had his serve broken only once – the first time in the tournament. Andy Roddick is looking absolutley spectacular this tournament and has a great chance to go far in this tournament. Roger Federer was eliminated by Andy Murray, Roddick’s opponent on Friday, and that completely opened up the field. If he continues to play as well as he has been, his winning might not stop here – it could go all the way into the U.S. Open.