New York – As a kid, Andy Roddick was hard-pressed to come up with a better birthday treat than going to the U.S. Open with his mom. At 9, he was thrilled to be on the scene while Jimmy Connors made a stirring run to the semifinals.
“I’d get here for the first match, and I wouldn’t leave till it was over. Those are probably my fondest memories, just sneaking into the nosebleed sections,” Roddick recalled Thursday. “I actually snuck into the players’ lounge one time and stole a cheesecake.”
He still comes to Flushing Meadows at birthday time, nowadays as a competitor – and with a certain James Scott Connors tagging along as his coach.
Roddick turned 25 on Thursday and marked the occasion by reaching the U.S. Open’s third round, although not before losing the first set and moving on when his opponent, Jose Acasuso of Argentina, quit after the third because of a left knee injury.
“That’s the good thing about Grand Slams: You get in the grind, and whoever doesn’t mind the grind wins,” Connors said after watching the match.
Maria Sharapova sure played the right way Thursday night, overwhelming 90th-ranked Casey Dellacqua of Australia 6-1, 6-0 in a mere 51 minutes.
“It’s only going to get tougher from here,” Sharapova said, “so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
One of her second serves showed up at 129 mph, which would tie Venus Williams’ Grand Slam record – but the company that oversees the serve-speed system at the U.S. Open called it a glitch.
“It was definitely a mistake, because, one, I’ve never hit a 129 in my life, let alone a second serve, and, two, it definitely didn’t feel like a 129,” she said. “So definitely wishful thinking.”
James Blake finally managed to win a fifth set.
Blake ended his 0-for-9 drought in matches that go the distance, outlasting Fabrice Santoro 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to win a 3-hour, 25-minute struggle that ended this morning.
“There used to be a big monkey right there,” Blake said, pointing to his back, “and now it’s gone. I got the monkey off my back. I got a five-setter.”
Santoro, at 34 the oldest man left in the tournament, faded down the stretch. He sat with an old-fashioned ice bag perched atop his head while a trainer massaged his left foot and both thighs, then asked for a medical timeout in the middle of a game after double-faulting. Later, Santoro opted not to sit at all during changeovers, perhaps worried about cramping.
The No. 6-seeded Blake is seven years younger and was far fresher, even clear-minded enough to switch hands for a lefty shot that helped win a point. He complained about Santoro’s delay tactics, which included deep-knee bends and stretching.
It ended when Blake broke in the final game with a cross-court backhand winner at which Santoro could only toss his racket. They met at the net, and Blake put his arm around Santoro and told him, “You played so hard.”
U.S. Open
At a glance
Top players on court today:
Men – No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. Janko Tipsarevic, No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. Radek Stepanek, No. 8 Tommy Robredo vs. Mardy Fish.
Women – No. 1 Justine Henin vs. Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, No. 3 Jelena Jankovic vs. Alize Kornet, France, No. 5 Ana Ivanovic vs. Vera Dushevina, No. 8 Serena Williams vs. Vera Zvonareva (27), Russia.
TV: USA, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (live); 5-9 p.m. (live).
RESULTS
AT THE USTA BILLIE JEAN KING
NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER
New York
MEN’S SINGLES
Second round
Donald Young, United States, def. Richard Gasquet (13), France, walkover.
Fernando Verdasco, Spain, def. Gilles Simon, France, 6-0, 6-4, 6-3.
Tomas Berdych (9), Czech Republic, def. Simone Bolelli, Italy, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.
Andy Murray (19), Britain, def. Jonas Bjorkman, Sweden, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.
Lee Hyung-taik, South Korea, def. Guillermo Canas (14), Argentina, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3.
Andy Roddick (5), United States, def. Jose Acasuso, Argentina, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, retired.
Sebastien Grosjean, France, def. Max Mirnyi, Belarus, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-3.
Nicolas Almagro (28), Spain, def. Luis Horna, Peru, 6-4, 6-2, 2-1, retired.
Feliciano Lopez, Spain, def. Igor Andreev, Russia, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Tommy Haas (10), Germany, def. Philipp Petzschner, Germany, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Thomas Johansson, Sweden, def. Arnaud Clement, France, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (9), 7-6 (1).
Nikolay Davydenko (4), Russia, def. Nicolas Kiefer, Germany, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
Stefan Koubek, Austria, def. Michael Llodra, France, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
James Blake (6), United States, def. Fabrice Santoro, France, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
WOMEN’S SINGLES
Second round
Shahar Peer (18), Israel, def. Bethanie Mattek, United States, 6-2, 6-1.
Anna Chakvetadze (6), Russia, def. Nicole Pratt, Australia, 6-3, 6-4.
Sania Mirza (26), India, def. Laura Granville, United States, 6-3, 7-5.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (4), Russia, def. Camille Pin, France, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.
Anabel Medina Garrigues (31), Spain, def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Spain, 7-5, 6-2.
Tamira Paszek, Austria, def. Francesca Schiavone (24), Italy, 6-3, 7-5.
Julia Vakulenko, Ukraine, def. Jelena Kostanic Tosic, Croatia, 6-2, 6-1.
Patty Schnyder (11), Switzerland, def. Severine Bremond, France, 6-3, 6-0.
Martina Hingis (16), Switzerland, def. Pauline Parmentier, France, 6-2, 7-5.
Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, def. Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia, 6-2, 6-2.
Nadia Petrova (7), Russia, def. Anastasia Rodionova, Russia, 7-5, 6-1.
Maria Kirilenko, Russia, def. Katarina Srebotnik (22), Slovenia, 6-4, 6-3.
Nicole Vaidisova (13), Czech Republic, def. Flavia Pennetta, Italy, 6-2, 7-6 (0).
Agnes Szavay, Hungary, def. Michaella Krajicek (32), Netherlands, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Agnieszka Radwanska (30), Poland, def. Virginie Razzano, France, 6-2, 6-3.
Maria Sharapova (2), Russia, def. Casey Dellacqua, Australia, 6-1, 6-0.
SHOW COURT SCHEDULES
Play begins at 9 a.m.
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Justine Henin (1), Belgium, vs. Ekaterina Makarova, Russia
Not before 11 a.m.: Tommy Robredo (8), Spain, vs. Mardy Fish, United States
Vera Zvonareva (27), Russia, vs. Serena Williams (8), United States
