Andy Roddick failed to make it through the opening week at the French Open for the fifth time in as many tries, blowing a two-set advantage on Thursday and a fifth-set lead against Argentine Jose Acasuso. Roddick was broken twice after going ahead 3-1 in the last set and lost 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 8-6.
Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo moved one round closer to the Nasdaq-100 Open title — and the number-one ranking — by beating Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Montenegro 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Unseeded David Ferrer of Spain became the first men’s semifinalist by sweeping number 26 Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia 6-2, 6-3.
Shifting into high gear after sputtering, Serena Williams whacked a ferocious forehand winner accompanied by a grunt that sounded like a revving high-performance motor. The crowd laughed. Williams did not. She means business at Wimbledon, where she has won back-to-back titles and 15 consecutive matches, including a first-round victory on Tuesday over Zheng Jie, 6-3, 6-1.
Roger Federer, who once beat Pete Sampras at Wimbledon, has no illusions about catching him. Sampras was 21 when he won the first of his seven Wimbledon men’s titles, a modern record. Federer, 21, won his first Grand Slam championship Sunday at the All England Club.