The Hindu : Sport : Roddick beats Becker on day of upsets

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Roddick beats Becker on day of upsets

Martin Damm & Robert Lindsted take out Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles

— PHOTO: AFP

POWERING THROUGH: Though he showed some signs of rust in his first match since Wimbledon, top-seeded Andy Roddick was largely untroubled against Benjamin Becker on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON: The top-seeded Andy Roddick beat Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic — the American’s first match since losing the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer.

Roddick took the extended break to recover from a right hip flexor injury sustained in the July 5 match. He said earlier in the week that he had recovered. The long layoff showed in several shots hit long or wide, but he remained in control of the match throughout. He never faced a break point, and had eight aces — including the match winner — with no double-faults.

“If I have to have one thing that’s rusty that I don’t worry about it coming around, it’s probably my serve,” he said.

Seven seeds upset

Twelve of the 16 seeded players were scheduled to play their first match of the tournament Wednesday. Although Roddick easily advanced, seven seeds were knocked out. Two of the upsets were by former No.1s — Juan Carlos Ferrero defeated seventh-seeded Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-2, and Lleyton Hewitt beat No. 15-seed Dudi Sela 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

American John Isner outlasted No. 3 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). The third-set tiebreaker was delayed about 10 minutes by a light shower. When play resumed, Isner quickly dispatched Tsonga. Isner had nine of his 20 aces in the third set, including two in the tiebreaker.

Injury trouble

Two other seeds ran into injury trouble. Twelfth-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia retired in the first set against Frenchman Marc Gicquel due to a right foot injury, and No. 9 seed Mardy Fish of the United States was knocked out by Germany’s Philipp Petzschner 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.

No. 9 seed Mardy Fish of the United States was upset by Philipp Petzschner of Germany 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. It was the first match for Fish since he withdrew from the L.A. Tennis Open before the quarterfinals on Friday due to an abdominal strain sustained in the Davis Cup.

In other results, No.11 seed Ivo Karlovic of Croatia had 18 aces to advance 6-4, 7-5 against Germany’s Rainer Schuettler — he next plays Somdev Devvarman, No.4 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile beat Colombian Alejandro Falla 7-5, 7-5, American Wayne Odesnik beat No.13 of Russia Igor Andreev 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 and No.5 Robin Soderling of Sweden won against Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 6-1.

French qualifier Sebastien De Chaunac closed out the day of upsets with a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over No. 14 seed Dmitry Tursunov of Russia.

In doubles play, the unseeded duo of Martin Damm of the Czech Republic and Robert Lindsted of Sweden saved two matchpoints in the super tie-break before taking down third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas 3-6, 6-1, 16-14 in the quarterfinals.

Safina, Sharapova advance

World No.1 and top seed Dinara Safina moved ahead with a clinical 6-2 6-4 victory over Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova in the second round of the LA Championships on Wednesday.

Maria Sharapova overcame third-seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 to advance.

In other upsets, Poland’s Urszula Radwanska defeated seventh seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 while Romanian teen Sorana Cirstea defeated the fourth-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).

The results: At Washington DC (Legg Mason Classic): Second round: Andy Roddick bt Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-2; John Isner bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4); Fernando Gonzalez bt Alejandro Falla 7-5, 7-5; Robin Soderling bt Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-1; Juan-Carlos Ferrero bt Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-2; Philipp Petzschner bt Mardy Fish 1-6, 6-4, 6-1; Ivo Karlovic bt Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 7-5; Marc Gicquel bt Viktor Troicki 3-0 retired.; Wayne Odesnik bt Igor Andreev 2-6, 7-5, 6-4; Sebastien de Chaunac bt bt Dmitry Tursunov 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-5; Lleyton Hewitt bt Dudi Sela 6-3, 2-6, 6-2; Sam Querrey bt Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 6-4. Doubles: Quarterfinals: Martin Damm & Robert Lindstedt bt Mahesh Bhupathi & Mark Knowles 3-6, 6-1, 16-14.

At Los Angeles (LA Women’s Championships): Second round: Dinara Safina bt Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-4; Maria Sharapova bt Victoria Azarenka 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2; Sorana Cirstea bt Caroline Wozniacki 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(5); Nadia Petrova bt Shahar Peer 6-4, 2-6, 6-3; Urszula Radwanska bt Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4; Agnieszka Radwanska bt Ai Sugiyama 6-2, 6-1; Flavia Pennetta bt Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 6-4; Li Na bt Aleksandra Wozniak 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Samantha Stosur bt Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-4; Zheng Jie bt Elena Vesnina 6-4, 4-6, 6-0; Sabine Lisicki bt Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-4; Alona Bondarenko bt Lucie Safarova 5-7, 6-4, 7-5; Anna Chakvetadze bt Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Yanina Wickmayer bt Jill Craybas 7-6(2), 6-1. — Agencies

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