Janko Tipsarevic eliminates Andy Roddick in the second round at the U.S. Open
Andy Roddick’s stay at the U.S. Open came to an abrupt halt yesterday with a second-round loss to Serbian Janko Tipsarevic at Flushing Meadows.
Roddick finished the match with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) loss to the forty-fourth ranked Tipsarevic, who has faced Roddick before. The two last squared off at Wimbledon in 2008, where Tipsarevic also beat Roddick in a second-round match.
The match also featured a questionable foot fault call against Roddick, the champion of the 2003 U.S. Open. During the first serve, a lineswoman called a foot fault on Roddick, who was down by 5-2 in the third.
The lineswoman stated that Roddick’s right foot had touched the line. Roddick mentioned this to the lineswoman, and later spoke to the chair umpire about it. A television replay showed that he had, in fact, crossed the line, but it was with his left foot as opposed to his right.
“I was just stupefied,” Roddick said of the bizarre call. “Not once in my entire career does my right foot go in front of my left foot. Not once. Ever.” Roddick was called for two other foot faults in the match, but they did not require a review that was extensive as the first one.
Tipsarevic was the star of this match, dominating the ninth-seeded Roddick at every turn with his spectacular play, running up his record to 2-1 against Roddick.
“He played very high-risk and executed for four sets,” said Roddick. “I kept telling myself, ‘You know, this has to have an expiration date on it.’ Unfortunately, I needed another set for that.”
Regarding his play in the match, Tipsarevic disagreed with his opponent’s analysis. “I didn’t feel I played too risky,” Tipsarevic said. “I was just playing good.”
The win allowed Tipsarevic to reach the third round at the U.S. Open for the first time in his career. His next match will be against Gael Monfils, who is currently seventeenth.
Roddick has had some impressive results throughout his career on the pro tennis circuit. He was the runner-up at Flushing Meadows in 2006, which was where he also won the only Grand Slam title of his career. His career has been dotted with some disappointing finishes as well, including a loss in the fourth round at Wimbledon earlier this year.
By his own admission, Roddick stated that he did not feel completely ready for what awaited him in New York, but he offered no excuses for his play at the U.S. Open.
“We’re not talking about it if I win a match,” Roddick said. “I’m not going to talk about it because I lost.”
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