Monday, June 18, 2007
CNN Student News #1
Topic: " Roddick made to battle for title "
POSTED: 1949 GMT (0349 HKT), June 17, 2007
LONDON, England -- Andy Roddick survived a match point in the second set tiebreak before claiming a record equaling fourth Queen's Club title with a hard fought 4-6 7-6 7-6 defeat of unseeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.
The former world number one had to dig deep before seeing off the 106th ranked Mahut, who had accounted for Rafael Nadal, Ivan Ljubicic, Jonas Bjorkman and Arnaud Clement in an outstanding week.
Roddick said: "This was by far the toughest match I've ever played here and I feel pretty lucky to be standing in the winners circle.
" Hopefully I can carry that over to Wimbledon."
Roddick, who has lost only twice in 25 matches at Queen's, collected a cheque for 80,500 euros ($107,588) in winning his first tour title of the season.
He was delighted to have passed his coach Jimmy Connors' total of three Queen's titles and jokingly taunted the legendary American, who was courtside in west London.
"I had to win this one because for the only time in all the places we go, I've won a tournament more times than him," Roddick said. "That doesn't happen very often."
Mahut said: "I will remember this forever. It was like a dream. I just needed one for a point.
"I did my best but Andy was just too good. He is a great player and a great champion."
A powerful overhead smash on the first point showed that Mahut was not going to be overawed by the occasion. Roddick had admitted on Saturday that he feared Mahut's go-for-broke approach would make him a tough proposition and he was proved exactly right.
Mahut, who gave a glimpse of his grass court potential when he won Junior Wimbledon in 2000, has a big enough serve but concentrates more on placement and then coming in to volley than blowing opponents off court.
Roddick managed to earn just one break point in the first set, at 4-4, when Mahut showed a rare moment of hesitancy at the net and put a volley long.
The danger was quickly snuffed out by a more accurate Mahut volley and, with Roddick visibly becoming frustrated by his failure to break, the Frenchman made him pay in the next game.
Mahut had been unable to put Roddick's serve under threat in the early stages, but with the American serving to stay in the set, Mahut was presented with his first break point after a wild forehand.
He gratefully seized it to clinch the set thanks to another unforced error from Roddick, this time an overhit backhand, and pumped his fists in triumph.
No-thrills affair
Both players were serving well enough that the second set was a no-thrills affair with no break points. It went to a tiebreaker and Mahut moved to match-point on Roddick's serve, but netted with his opponent out of position.
Roddick pounced immediately. He won a set point and Mahut cracked, putting a volley into the net to give the American the set.
Mahut's deft use of angles kept Roddick off-balance and he won one point he had no right to reach thanks to an acrobatic dive in the 10th game of the final set.
With the combined ace count reaching 43, Roddick hitting 22, by late in the final set, a tie-break was inevitable.
It was Roddick who got the decisive break when his forehand hit the net and bounced in over Mahut's racket. That was all the encouragement Roddick needed and he clinically closed out the match.
Gaudio pulls out
Gaston Gaudio announced his withdrwal from Wimbledon on Sunday.
The 2004 French Open champion, who has never advanced past the second round at the All England Club, will be replaced by Juan-Pablo Guzman of Argentina.
Xavier Malisse, Jurgen Melzer, Paradorn Srichaphan and Jose Acasuso previously announced their withdrawals from Wimbledon, which starts on June 25.
Anastasia Myskina, the women's champion at the 2004 French Open, has also withdrawn, along with Zheng Jie and Romina Oprandi.
POSTED: 1949 GMT (0349 HKT), June 17, 2007
LONDON, England -- Andy Roddick survived a match point in the second set tiebreak before claiming a record equaling fourth Queen's Club title with a hard fought 4-6 7-6 7-6 defeat of unseeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.
The former world number one had to dig deep before seeing off the 106th ranked Mahut, who had accounted for Rafael Nadal, Ivan Ljubicic, Jonas Bjorkman and Arnaud Clement in an outstanding week.
Roddick said: "This was by far the toughest match I've ever played here and I feel pretty lucky to be standing in the winners circle.
" Hopefully I can carry that over to Wimbledon."
Roddick, who has lost only twice in 25 matches at Queen's, collected a cheque for 80,500 euros ($107,588) in winning his first tour title of the season.
He was delighted to have passed his coach Jimmy Connors' total of three Queen's titles and jokingly taunted the legendary American, who was courtside in west London.
"I had to win this one because for the only time in all the places we go, I've won a tournament more times than him," Roddick said. "That doesn't happen very often."
Mahut said: "I will remember this forever. It was like a dream. I just needed one for a point.
"I did my best but Andy was just too good. He is a great player and a great champion."
A powerful overhead smash on the first point showed that Mahut was not going to be overawed by the occasion. Roddick had admitted on Saturday that he feared Mahut's go-for-broke approach would make him a tough proposition and he was proved exactly right.
Mahut, who gave a glimpse of his grass court potential when he won Junior Wimbledon in 2000, has a big enough serve but concentrates more on placement and then coming in to volley than blowing opponents off court.
Roddick managed to earn just one break point in the first set, at 4-4, when Mahut showed a rare moment of hesitancy at the net and put a volley long.
The danger was quickly snuffed out by a more accurate Mahut volley and, with Roddick visibly becoming frustrated by his failure to break, the Frenchman made him pay in the next game.
Mahut had been unable to put Roddick's serve under threat in the early stages, but with the American serving to stay in the set, Mahut was presented with his first break point after a wild forehand.
He gratefully seized it to clinch the set thanks to another unforced error from Roddick, this time an overhit backhand, and pumped his fists in triumph.
No-thrills affair
Both players were serving well enough that the second set was a no-thrills affair with no break points. It went to a tiebreaker and Mahut moved to match-point on Roddick's serve, but netted with his opponent out of position.
Roddick pounced immediately. He won a set point and Mahut cracked, putting a volley into the net to give the American the set.
Mahut's deft use of angles kept Roddick off-balance and he won one point he had no right to reach thanks to an acrobatic dive in the 10th game of the final set.
With the combined ace count reaching 43, Roddick hitting 22, by late in the final set, a tie-break was inevitable.
It was Roddick who got the decisive break when his forehand hit the net and bounced in over Mahut's racket. That was all the encouragement Roddick needed and he clinically closed out the match.
Gaudio pulls out
Gaston Gaudio announced his withdrwal from Wimbledon on Sunday.
The 2004 French Open champion, who has never advanced past the second round at the All England Club, will be replaced by Juan-Pablo Guzman of Argentina.
Xavier Malisse, Jurgen Melzer, Paradorn Srichaphan and Jose Acasuso previously announced their withdrawals from Wimbledon, which starts on June 25.
Anastasia Myskina, the women's champion at the 2004 French Open, has also withdrawn, along with Zheng Jie and Romina Oprandi.
# posted by Tobey @ 2:35 AM 
