Roddick powers through Japan Open, reaches Last Eight
This week, Andy Roddick managed to redeem himself in the face of multiple accusations against his talent at the game of tennis, by mowing though players Tatsuma Ito and Jeremy Chardy to reach the quarter finals of the 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships,
also known as the Japan Open. Last year, at the 2009 Japan Open, Roddick managed to push through to the semi finals of the tournament.
The success over Ito and Chardy is significantly important for Roddick, who suffered a crushing loss at the hands of Serbian pro tennis player Janko Tipsarevic at Flushing Meadows in the second round of the 2010 US Open tournament. This is the 28 year old’s
first tournament after the final Major of the year.
The former World Number One’s first victory at the Ariake Stadium came with his defeat of Japanese wild card Tatsuma Ito in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, on Tuesday. He won the first set when Ito double faulted at set point, and recovered from a break down in
the second set to conquer his opponent with powerful serves, finally overcoming the Japanese player with his eighth ace of the game in an 82 minute long match. Andy Roddick commented on his performance, saying, “Since New York, I've just been working on getting
back my physical shape and I feel that I've been able to do that. He played very well in the first set. It was a little bit uncomfortable, because he hits every ball hard and flat and the court is very fast, so there wasn't a chance to get into my rhythm.
In the second set, I don't think he played as well, but on this fast surface, it's certainly uncomfortable.”
Roddick, who is the second seed at this tournament, had his next match against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. Chardy himself defeated compatriot Edouard Roger-Vasselin in a 6-3, 7-6(2) win to reach this round against Roddick.
However, Andy Roddick triumphed over Jeremy Chardy in a comfortable victory, gliding into the quarter finals of the tournament. He won the match at 6-4, 7-6 (4) by serving five aces and winning 83 per cent of his total first serve points, later commenting,
“He (Jeremy Chardy) is dangerous because he plays a pretty high-risk game. But I played the big points very well. When you're playing average that's encouraging.”
The first set of the match was an extraordinarily easy victory for Andy Roddick. However, as Chardy grew more desperate, the match became slightly more challenging and second seed Roddick was pushed into the saving a set point in the second set, using a
tough backhand volley right before he clinched the match with a tiebreak victory. He was out-aced six to five by Chardy, before he fought through the tie break, winning the match in a little over 90 minutes.
Andy Roddick’s next match is against another Frenchman, Gael Monfils. They will be competing against each other for participation in the semi final of the 2010 Japan Open. Roddick seems confident about his prowess, saying, "I'm at a point now where I'm not
afraid to play long points anymore. I haven't played much and I've struggled a little but it's nice not having to fight that mental battle."
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