What a match. Can you believe it? Roger looked down and out in the 2nd set tie-break which Andy Roddick held 4 straight set points. But Roddick dropped 3 straight service points to lose it and even though he made it tough in the 5th set, Roger finally wore him out and got the luck he needed to win it all 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14. You could argue that Andy was the better player for 3 of the 5 sets, but Roger stuck with him and finally got the favor he usually gets from Andy Roddick.
Roddick was very solid on his service games. I am not sure how Roger was not reading his serve. But Andy was brilliant in that department, except when it mattered in the tie-breaks. In the 5th set, Andy was solid and except the first game of the 5th set when Roger held a break point, Andy was very solid, that is until the last game when he started spraying the ball and giving away a game point to lose his game and match. Roger was serving first and took advantage of it to finally break Roddick’s heart.
Tough to be Andy but he was poised to move on to greater things after his match:
Roddick played the best match of his life on the wrong day. Sampras was there. Laver and Borg were there as well. It’d been all been for naught had Roger lost. But he pulled it off, and those who got to see it in person saw history being made. Is Roddick back? He needs to back it up at the U.S. Open. But one thing’s for sure. Roger is now the best player in the open era!