Sentimental favorite Andy Roddick extended his career Sunday afternoon with a 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 win over the very entertaining Fabio Fognini of Italy at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The win was far from easy though against a younger, faster opponent on a humid day that saw temperatures into the 80’s.
Roddick started with a bang breaking Fognini’s first service game but the resilient Fognini eventually broke back—something that hadn’t been done against Roddick’s tremendous service game through two U.S. Open matches this year. Roddick eventually broke back to win the first set.
By the second set, Roddick seemed to slow down a bit. The normally quick-paced former U.S. Open champion began taking more time between points and conserved his energy by not even trying for balls he knew he couldn’t get to.
The second set eventually went to a tiebreaker and Roddick, who looked like he'd have been in trouble had the match gone the distance, seemed to sense the enormity of the moment.
With the tiebreaker tied at one, Roddick excited the crowd with a tremendous forehand winner down the line on a point that Fognini seemed to be in control of. The pro-Roddick crowd roared in approval while the celebrating Roddick evoked memories of Jimmy Connors with his excited fist pumping.
With momentum in his favor, Roddick promptly took the next five points to win the set and take a two-sets-to-none lead.
The 25-year-old Fognini won the next set though by getting the only break of the set in the tenth and final game to extend the match to a fourth set.
“Sometimes it goes like it did the other night,” said Roddick of his straight-sets win Friday, according to the U.S. Open website. “It got away from me a little bit and I kind of had to get it back in the fourth set.”
Fognini’s downfall in the match seemed to be his focus—which was conversely Roddick’s strength. Often carrying on conversations with members of his own box between points, Fognini had stretches of brilliance followed by points of frustration. Though he had 56 winners on the day—to Roddick’s 39—he also had eight double-faults to Roddick’s zero.
On numerous occasions the speedy Fognini would be even appear to be flat-footed during a point, thinking he could get to any ball whether he was ready or not. He walked nonchalantly around the court between points with seemingly little care to stay in any kind of rhythm.
But he did play to the crowd. On one instance a Roddick lob had Fognini, who was at the net, running away from the net so he had to return the ball by hitting it between his legs. Amazing the shot made it over where an ever-ready Roddick returned it for a soft winner. The likeable Fognini then shot-putted his racket towards Roddick in playful frustration, much to the crowd’s amusement.
Ultimately, Roddick’s will to win won out. Taking a crucial break in the fourth set to go ahead four games to three, Roddick eventually served out the match.
Up next for the soon-to-be retired Roddick is a fourth-round meeting against Juan Martin del Potro, who won the 2009 US Open and is the only person to win a major in the last 30 Grand Slams not named Djokovic, Federer, or Nadal.
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