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Blake Falls, Roddick Through

Written by Matthew Cronin
Monday, 03 September 2007
Tommy Haas ended James Blake's hopes of reaching his first US Open semifinal in a rousing 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (4) fourth-round victory on Monday. Andy Roddick, the 2003 champion, got another easy pass, when No. 9 Czech Tomas Berdych retired with breathing problems with Roddick leading, 7-6 (6), 2-0. Haas fought off three match points in the teeth-clenching contest, which had fans standing on their feet during the final set tiebreaker. Blake heroically came back from a 2-4 deficit in the fourth set, but with Haas serving at 4-5, was unable to break through the German's serve, as Haas beat back the three match points with a forehand down-the-line winner and two service winners. Blake put himself in an early hole in the tiebreak when he missed a backhand on the opening point and was never able to recover. After Blake ripped a backhand down-the-line return winner to knot it at 3-3, Haas put together two spectacular topspin lobs to grab a 4-3 lead. Blake then double-faulted and erred on a forehand to give Haas three match points. On the first one, Blake was successful in a challenge when a backhand winner was called good, but on the second challenge, it was Haas who was successful, when he hit an ace out wide that was ruled in. “When I had the match points, he was too good, but I had chances in the tiebreaker but couldn't convert them,” Blake said. “He took his chances, so I have to say, 'Well done.' It's going to sting for a little while.” No. 10 Haas, who won another five-setter in the previous round against Sebastian Grosjean, was overjoyed. “It was close and anything was possible,” said Haas, who is being accompanied by his girlfriend, actress Sarah Foster. “I tried to stay calm and just fight. To reach the quarterfinals is awesome.” Roddick had to fight off a set point in the tiebreaker against Berdych, who committed three consecutive errors to lose the set. But after two games, the Czech couldn't get a breath and called it quits. Roddick will likely face top-seed and three-time defending champion Roger Federer in the next round, who was scheduled to play Feliciano Lopez in the night match. Federer has had his way with Roddick over the years, owning a 13-1 record against the American, including a four-set victory in the 2006 US Open final and a straight-sets thrashing in the semifinals of the 2007 Australian Open. Roddick will have to play nearly perfectly to down the Swiss, who reads his serve like a brain surgeon and draws him into the net on his own terms. Roddick knows he has to ride the waves because Federer is sure to go on a hot streak, and if he can't slow him down, he'll leave Ashe Stadium disappointed. “Once Roger gets momentum, it's tough to play catch up,” Roddick said. “But I'm excited. I expect a lot of myself. I don't think anybody else really expects much from me. To play him, I'm assuming it will be a night session, the crowd will be electric, and I'll be excited.” The somewhat bizarre bottom half of the women's draw firmed up, when two players more well known to fans posted wins. Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 champ, knocked out Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 6-2, 6-3, while No. 18 Shahar Peer of Israel beat Maria Sharapova's conqueror, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, 6-4, 6-1. Kuznetsova will play 18-year-old Hungarian sensation Agnes Szavay, who defeated Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko, 6-4, 7-6. Peer will face the winner of the night match between No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze and Tamira Paszek. The 22-year-old Russian Kuznetsova has quietly worked her way through the draw, struggling a bit in her second-ound victory over Camille Pin but easily taking care of business in her last two matches. “I feel like I'm getting better every match," Kuznetsova said. "I'm very confident about my game." Szavay has come a long way since last fall, when she was playing USTA Challengers. She reached the New Haven final the week before the US Open but had to pull out with a back injury. Now healthy, she reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal -- only the third time she played a major. “I'm surprised, but I'm very happy,” she said. "I played good. I guess my serve really improved a lot and also my forehand. My backhand was always [good]. I'm really happy for that.” http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2007-09-03/200709031188872770406.html !