KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Andre Agassi watched in dismay from a
broadcast booth as young Andy Roddick began to act his age Tuesday,
losing four consecutive games and nearly blowing the first set at
the Ericsson Open.
Then came a rain delay, and Agassi went downstairs to offer his
heir apparent some advice.
|  | | American Jan-Michael Gambill defeated Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals at the Ericsson Open. |
"He kind of told me to get my head together a little bit and to
calm down," Roddick said.
They also talked strategy, and Roddick put the tips to good use,
regrouping to beat Andrei Pavel 7-6 (10), 6-2 and become the
youngest men's quarterfinalist in tournament history.
Roddick, 18, said he wasn't surprised when Agassi sought him out
during the rain delay. They're occasional hitting partners at
Roddick's home in Boca Raton.
"To have someone who is one of the greatest champions of all
time want to help you out is just great," Roddick said. "He's
such a great guy. He has good motives. I was surprised at first
when he was so nice to me, but he doesn't surprise me anymore."
Coach Agassi, seeded third, advanced earlier with a walkover
when Tommy Haas pulled out before their fourth-round match because
of a sprained left foot. Agassi could meet Roddick in an
all-American intergenerational final Sunday.
Jan-Michael Gambill reached the quarterfinals by beating Jonas
Bjorkman 6-1, 6-2. He'll next play Gaston Gaudio, who upset No. 12
Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.
Agassi next faces Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, who made the draw
only because Richard Krajicek pulled out. Ljubicic advanced by
beating Carlos Moya 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
No. 8 Pat Rafter beat No. 10 Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-3, and Roger
Federer outlasted Thomas Johansson 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-6 (7).
Roddick's opponent Wednesday will be No. 7 Lleyton Hewitt. The
20-year-old Australian rallied to beat Fabrice Santoro 3-6, 6-1,
6-2.
"Lleyton is the top dog among the young guys right now,"
Roddick said. "I haven't done anything compared to him."
But Roddick has notched successive victories against former No.
1 Marcelo Rios, Pete Sampras and Pavel, ensuring he'll break into
the top 100 next week. The streak confirms the hype touting Roddick
as the most promising young American since Sampras, Agassi and Jim
Courier emerged in the late 1980s.
"I knew that I could do something like this," Roddick said.
"I wasn't sure it was going to happen this tournament."
He struggled to calm down Monday after upsetting Sampras the day
before.
"I couldn't get my mind off the match because it was such an
emotional high for me," Roddick said. "I went online about 18,000
times, twiddled my thumbs, watched a movie, then watched a little
basketball and went to bed."
He started fast against Pavel, but with a 5-2 lead began
spraying forehands and missing serves. Soon it was 5-6, and Roddick
struggled to hold for 6-6 before the rain came.
Agassi and Roddick met
during a 70-minute delay. Agassi advised him to switch to an
off-pace kick serve on a big point, and Roddick remembered the
advice at 11-10 in the tiebreaker.
He spun in a 102-mph first serve – 35 mph below his best. The
surprised Pavel managed only a weak return, and Roddick pounced on
it to close out the set.
"Thanks, Andre," Roddick said.
The lanky young Floridian has quickly become a favorite with the
crowd. He mis-hit a forehand at 7-7 in the tiebreaker, and the
collective gasp seemed to suck all the air out of the stadium. Then
the shot landed six inches inside the baseline, and 10,000 fans
exhaled at once.
Roddick took control in the second set, his serve and
groundstrokes overpowering Pavel. The Romanian, 27 years old and
ranked 46th, was impressed.
"He's got everything: forehand, backhand, everything. And this
huge serve," Pavel said. "He's a very great player." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
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