|
Roddick advances to finals of Nasdaq-100
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-03 14:30
Andy Roddick advanced to the final of the Nasdaq-100 Open for the first time
Friday, playing nearly flawless tennis to beat Vince Spadea 6-1, 6-3.
Roddick took the first set in just 21 minutes and won seven consecutive games
against Spadea, whose normally steady game unraveled in his first Key Biscayne
semifinal.
Roddick's opponent Sunday will be third-seeded Guillermo Coria, who overcame
four match points to beat Fernando Gonzalez in an all-South American semifinal,
4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1.
Serena Williams will play for the women's championship Saturday in her first
tournament following an eight-month layoff. The two-time defending champion
faces fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva, who seeks a sweep of the Williams sisters
after upsetting Venus in the quarterfinals.
The unseeded Spadea had been on a run over the past month that included his
first tournament title at age 29, but he struggled from the start against
Roddick.
The second-seeded Roddick came out firing with an ace and two service winners
to take the opening game at love. Along with big serves, he kept Spadea on the
defensive by consistently pounding deep groundstrokes while committing just 11
unforced errors.
Roddick, who leads the ATP Tour in victories this year, improved to 25-5 and
avenged a defeat last month against Spadea at Scottsdale, Ariz.
Spadea lost his second service game with four consecutive unforced errors to
fall behind 3-1, and when Roddick erased two break points to take the next game,
he was in front to stay.
Four unforced errors and a double fault cost Spadea another service game to
start the second set. The rout left the crowd mostly subdued, but midway through
the second set, a fan shouted, "Hide the children!"
Spadea sailed a backhand long to reach match point, then slammed his racket
to the concrete, but the fit didn't help. Roddick closed out the win on the next
point, and Spadea sent the racket skidding across the court.
The next challenge for Roddick will be Coria. Roddick is 2-0 against the
Argentine and won their most recent meeting in the season-ending Tennis Masters
Cup in Houston last November.
"I'm still pretty hot about my loss," Coria said. "I would like to have
revenge. ... I'm going to fight hard every point. Roddick is going to have to
earn it."
Coria won his semifinal match despite trailing Gonzalez 5-3 in the second set
and 6-4 in the tiebreaker.
"I never give up," Coria said. "The match is never over until I shake hands
with the opponent."
Fans chanted, sang and waved their country's flag during the match between
Coria and Chile's Gonzalez, seeded 21st. But the mood turned tense with Gonzalez
on the verge of victory when his strokes went haywire.
Holding two match points serving for the victory at 5-4 in the second set,
Gonzalez double-faulted and hit a forehand into the net.
That marked the start of Coria's comeback, as Gonzalez's shots became more
and more tentative. The Chilean conceded that nerves got the best of him.
"This is the first time that this happened to me in an important tournament
like this one," he said. "I'm very disappointed. Everybody's nervous, but you
have to play good when you are nervous. I tried to."
Part of the drama surrounding the women's final involves what the top-seeded
Williams will wear. She generated a buzz with the apparel she has unveiled at
Key Biscayne: a white and silver corset dress, and a revealing fitted tank top
and hot pants.
Williams wore the latter outfit against Jill Craybas.
"You've got to have confidence to do it," Craybas said. "She definitely has
the confidence to do it. But, you know, good on her if she has the guts to wear
it. You won't find me in that."
Williams' self-assurance extends to her game, and at Key Biscayne she's been
the same intimidating presence as before her hiatus. Her shots in the semifinal
had Eleni Daniilidou dodging out of the way at least twice.
"I always expect the best of myself," Williams said. "I wanted to have a
still-strong presence. I think that's really good."
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
Today's
Top News |
|
|
|
Top Sports
News |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
