KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Lleyton Hewitt, two years older
and two years more experienced than Andy Roddick, ended the
American teen-ager's Ericsson Open title dreams with a 6-3, 6-2
quarterfinal victory on Wednesday.
|  | | Lleyton Hewitt celebrates a point against Andy Roddick during his quarterfinal victory. |
"I went out there with the attitude I had to be solid right
from the start," said the seventh-seeded Australian after the
72-minute match.
"I didn't go out there and play silly tennis. I think I
played within myself."
Hewitt's opponent in the semifinals Friday will be Jan-Michael
Gambill, who survived a match point in the second set to beat
Gaston Gaudio 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. Gambill has overcome five match points
in the tournament.
Roddick, 18, who was troubled by an injury to his right
hand, might be out of the competition but he can look back at his
efforts with pride, especially the third-round victory against Pete
Sampras.
The youngster's performance also will allow him to rise from
119 in the world into the top 100 for the first time in his short
career.
"It is the best week of my career so far, so I'm not going
to go into some tantrum because it wasn't my day," said Roddick,
the 2000 world junior champion.
"Any time you lose, you don't feel good. But as long as I go
in and give it my best shot and know that I didn't hold anything
back, I can live with it.
"I think he's difficult for anybody to play against,"
Roddick said of his first career encounter against Hewitt.
"He puts a lot of balls back and he makes you beat him. If
you are having a good day, if you are having an off day, it is
going to be a long day."
The Australian broke serve in the fourth game of the first
set and again in the first, third and seventh games of the
second.
The only time Roddick was able to break the feisty Hewitt's
delivery was in the sixth game of the second set. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
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ALSO SEE
Wednesday's results
Capriati earns straight-sets victory over Serena Williams
Agassi advances to quarters without stepping on court
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