The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Roddick pulls one back against Clement

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 18, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Roddick pulls one back against Clement

MEMPHIS, FEB. 17. Top-seeded Andy Roddick needed just an hour and 16 minutes to defeat Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.

Roddick, the tournament's 2002 champion, had lost his previous two matches against Clement, both on clay. But the American dominated Wednesday's match with a powerful serve and knack for keeping points alive. Clement was getting to shots early but seemed to lose a step during the match.

"It felt that way, but I'm cautious to say so because he's one of the fittest guys on tour," said Roddick. "I have trouble believing I wore him down in an hour and 15 minutes indoors with not a whole lot of heat elements."

Second-seeded German Tommy Haas won his opening match with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jeff Salzenstein of the United States.

"I was kind of dictating (the pace)," Haas said, "which I thought was important so he might feel early on that it's going to be very tough for him to beat me, and he's going to have to play even better than he thought."

Zvonareva moves up

In the WTA Cellular South Cup, top-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia and third-seeded American Meghann Shaughnessy advanced.

Zvonareva, the defending champion, defeated Severine Beltrame of France 7-6, 6-3, and Shaughnessy won 6-3, 6-2 over the Czech Republic's Hana Sromova.

Federer advances

At Rotterdam, top-seeded Roger Federer dispatched Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the ABN Amro.

Also on Wednesday, Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand upset second-seeded Guillermo Coria 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the second round and Radek Stephanek beat defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3.

Clijsters keeps winning

Meanwhile at Antwerp, former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters beat fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Diamond Games — her comeback tournament.

Third-seeded Williams opened her quest for the euro 1 million ($1.3 million) gold-and-diamond trophy with a 6-3, 6-0 win over France's Virginie Razzano.

The results:

At Memphis (ATP RMK Championships): Second round: Andy Roddick bt Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3. First round: Cyril Saulnier bt Robert Kendrick 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Tommy Haas bt Jeff Salzenstein 6-4, 6-4; Wayne Arthurs bt Jurgen Melzer 7-6(5), 7-6(4).

At Memphis (WTA Cellular South Cup): Second round: Cho Yoon-jeong bt Abigail Spears 6-4, 6-4; Akiko Morigami bt Michaella Krajicek 6-7(2), 7-6(7), 6-4; Meghann Shaughnessy bt Hana Sromova 6-3, 6-2; Nicole Vaidisova bt Kristina Brandi 6-2, 6-2; Vera Zvonareva bt Severine Beltrame 7-6(0), 6-3; Evgenia Linetskaya bt Yuka Yoshida, Japan 6-2, 6-2; Katerina Bondarenko bt Angela Haynes 7-6(3), 7-5.

At Salvador (ATP Brasil Open): Second round: Mariano Zabaleta bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-2; Santiago Ventura bt Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-4; Alberto Martin bt Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 7-5.

At Bogota (Copa Colsanitas): Second round: Eva Birnerova bt Maria Antonia Sanchez-Lorenzo 6-4, 7-6(6); Emmanuelle Gagliardi bt Conchita Martinez-Granados 6-1, 6-4; Emilie Loit bt Melinda Czink 6-4, 6-1; Catalina Castano bt Maria Fernanda Alves 6-2, 6-4; Agnes Szavay bt Bahia Mouhtassine 7-5, 6-3. First round: Lubomira Kurhajcova bt Ludmila Cervanova 6-2, 7-6(5).

At Rotterdam (ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament): Second round: Paradorn Srichaphan bt Guillermo Coria 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-3; Radek Stepanek bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. First round: Stanislas Wrawinka bt Sebastien Grosjean 7-6(5), 6-2; Joachim Johansson bt Yeu-tzuoo Wang 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-3; Ivan Ljubicic bt Dominik Hrbaty 6-4, 1-6, 6-2; Roger Federer bt Bohdan Ulihrach 6-3, 6-4; Sjeng Schalken bt Andrei Pavel 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

At Antwerp (WTA Proximus Diamond Games): Second round: Patty Schnyder bt Camille Pin 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Venus Williams bt Virginie Razzano 6-3, 6-0; Kim Clijsters bt Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-1.

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