Andy Roddick won the battle of the power-servers with an impressive four-set victory over Greg Rusedski to book a place in the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.
The American second seed dismantled the British world number 48’s serve-volley game to move confidently into the next round, where he will take on Austria’s top player, Jurgen Melzer, on Saturday.
Roddick stretched his record over Rusedski to 4-1 with a blinding 6-0, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win in one hour and 33 minutes.
”You don’t really expect that against someone like Greg,” Roddick said. ”I saw the ball early on and didn’t try to second-guess it.
”You always want to serve and return that well, but tonight it just clicked for me.”
Roddick played immaculately; he served at an astonishingly high 72%, broke Rusedski’s serve six times, clocked up 49 outright winners and only conceded eight unforced errors in four sets.
The 2003 US Open champion ran through the opening set to love after breaking Rusedski’s first three service games. Rusedski clocked a fastest serve of 220kph during the opening set, and Roddick’s best was 218kph.
Rusedski briefly raised the hopes of the ”Barmy Army” among the centre-court crowd when he levelled taking the second set after Roddick double-faulted on break point.
But Roddick benefited from two favourable net-cords to break Rusedski in the sixth game and then rushed through the third set with another service break when Rusedski’s backhand sailed wide.
Roddick was on a roll and broke Rusedski’s service for the sixth time in the match in the second game of the final with a gem backhand placement in the corner for a 2-0 lead.
The American steamed through the rest of the set untroubled on serve to take the match in quick time.
Roddick reached the quarterfinals as top seed in Melbourne last year, falling to eventual runner-up Marat Safin in five sets. Because of that, he lost the number-one ranking to Roger Federer.
”A-Rod” is now working with Dean Goldfine after splitting with Brad Gilbert following the Davis Cup Final against Spain in early December.
Thirty-one year old Rusedski has reached the fourth round at the Australian Open only once in 10 attempts. — Sapa-AFP