Andy Roddick squeaks past Gilles Muller to reach round three – Sony Ericsson Open 2012
Former world number one, Andy Roddick, trounced the Luxembourgian ace, Gilles Muller, in straight sets at the Sony Ericsson Open 2012 on Saturday. He formulated a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the 28-year-old to advance into the third round at this ATP (Association
of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Masters 1000 event taking place at Key Biscayne, United States.
The 31st seed, Roddick, re-kindled his old spark to outmuscle the Luxembourgian in their fourth meeting. After carving out this victory in one hour and 13 minutes, the local star not only extended the lead in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by
3-1 against Muller but also booked a place in the round of 32.
Currently ranked 34th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Roddick high-spiritedly entered the Tennis Center at Crandon Park and jumped to a 3-0 lead with a break of serve. He then easily kept remaining serves without facing any
hindrance and sealed the opener by winning six games to three.
The American sought seven break opportunities and capitalised on one to inch towards the glory in 41 minutes. He also took full advantage of the 18 unforced errors Muller committed and smacked six vicious aces.
Roddick kept momentum sailing into the following set and earned the coveted break in the opening game to take the initial lead. He then maintained his intensity and cashed in another break chance in the fifth game, consequently going 5-1 up. The American
held his serve once more and clinched the set with a 6-2 score line.
Overall, the 29-year-old clobbered a better first serve share of 69 per cent as compared to Muller’s 62 per cent and amazingly availed 26 out of 31 points on it.
Next in line for Roddick is the 16-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer, who brushed off late resilience posed by Ryan Harrison to set-up this epic battle.
The Swiss Maestro commented in a post-match press conference, "I felt like I had to win the match like three times at the end, so I was relieved to come through. Beating against an American in America is always a big deal, because this is where they usually
play their very best.”
Federer was leading 5-2 in the second set when the American teenager hit back and levelled the scores. The set went to a tie-breaker but the world number three proved his class and pulled out the victory with a 6-2, 7-6(3) score line.
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