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http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/7741443/andy-roddick-upsets-roger-federer
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KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Andy Roddick beat Roger Federer for only the third time
in their 24 meetings Monday, dominating with his serve to win 7-6 (4), 1-6,
6-4 in the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Roddick broke serve only once but held every service game in the first and
last sets. After falling behind 15-30 in the final game, he closed out the
victory with an ace and two service winners, all at more than 130 mph.

On paper, it looked like a mismatch between former No. 1s, each a two-time
champion in the event. The third-ranked Federer began the night 40-2 since
the U.S. Open, while Roddick was ranked 34th, the lowest he has been since
2001.

Roddick ended Federer's streak of 77 consecutive wins against players outside
the top 20.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round by beating No. 27-seeded
Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic is bidding for his third Key Biscayne title
and second in a row.

No. 8-seeded Mardy Fish assured he'll remain the top-ranked American man by
beating No. 28 Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-3. Fish has yet to play in the stadium
this tournament and instead faced Anderson at 11 a.m. on the grandstand
court, but he said that was fine because prefers an early start.

"I like to know my fate," Fish said. "I like playing in the heat. And I think
everyone likes to know exactly when they play."

Federer lost only seven points on his serve in the opening set, but when he
failed to put away an overhead trailing 4-3 in the tiebreaker, the match
swung Roddick's way.

Federer squandered another chance with a 1-0 lead in the third set, failing
to convert four break points in the next game. After Roddick escaped for
1-all, he earned his lone break in the next game, his grunts filling the
stadium as he cracked four forehand winners.

Roddick served out the final four games without facing a break point. When he
let loose a 134-mph serve to win the final point, he raised his arms and
waved his racket at the heavens.

Roddick had cause to give thanks: He had lost 52 of 64 sets against Federer
entering the match. Federer had won six meetings in a row since Roddick beat
him in the Key Biscayne quarterfinals in 2008.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


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http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/7740955/tennis-andy-roddick-overcomes
-history-roger-federer-sony-ericsson-open

Reality check: A-Rod can bring it

Updated: March 27, 2012, 2:06 AM ET

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Earlier this month, after he beat Roger Federer in a
kicks-and-giggles exhibition at Madison Square Garden, Andy Roddick's
sardonic wit -- it is rarely contained -- emerged in the postmatch news
conference.

"Obviously I'm in Roger's head," he said. "He has no idea how to play me."

Roddick, for the record, had lost 21 of 23 official matches to Federer,
including one of the best Wimbledon finals in history; the score in the fifth
set in 2009 was 16-14. It was a wrenching loss for Roddick, perhaps as
impressive as his lone major victory at the 2003 U.S. Open. Maybe more.

So how do you convince yourself to battle and persevere when the final
result already seems to be written? When does optimism give way to reality.
When does it congeal into denial?

In professional sports, a selective memory is an invaluable tool. Like the
streaky power hitter, Roddick prefers to dwell on the occasional home run --
not the handfuls of swinging strikeouts. No, he has clung to those two
victories like a life vest a mile offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.

The funny thing? One of those wins came here at the Sony Ericsson Open in
2008. On Monday night, when Roddick won a first-set tiebreaker against
Federer, the buzz began to build on the stadium court and Roddick looked like
a believer. When he broke Federer early in the third set, it seemed possible.
But -- and Roddick always seems to be the butt of Federer's jokes -- you were
waiting for that "but."


It never came. When Roddick won, after an ace and two thunderous and
unreturnable serves, he looked more stunned than Federer. He glanced skyward
and shook his head, contemplating the depth of his 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-4 victory.

Admit it, you probably never thought you'd see it. Roddick, as the result
proves, was one of the very few who imagined it could be done. Afterward, he
was eerily calm, almost subdued.

"You still have to come back tomorrow," Roddick said. "As much as you want
to take it in -- because, obviously, these wins are few and far between --
you have to do what you can to get ready.

"In 2008, I beat Roger [in Miami] and lost to [Nikolay] Davydenko in the
next round. There's no script in sports, which is why it's the best
entertainment. You don't know what's going to happen. Nights like tonight are
why you play."

Tuesday, Roddick meets Juan Monaco in a fourth-round match.

After winning 77 consecutive matches against players ranked outside the top
20, Federer fell to the No. 34-ranked Roddick.

And this wasn't just Federer, 16-time Grand Slam single champion. This was
the best player in the world going back the past six months. Federer had won
40 of 42 matches since last year's U.S. Open, but in front of a lively full
house there were times when he looked tentative. The usually fabulous
forehand was a tad loose and, ultimately, let him down.

"It was more mental than physical thing," Federer said. "I tried to push
myself and gave myself a fighting chance, and then when things were under
control, sort of, he fought off those break-point chances -- and had the
perfect game after that."

After he won his second-round match here, Roddick was asked if he knew who
was next.

"I do, yeah," he said. "Thanks. Nice to ask, though. He's pretty good, yeah.

"We've played a ton; there's no secrets. I know I have to execute really,
really well. There's a small window of percentages where you have to be
right. What he does is he shrinks that window with his strengths."

Roddick played the percentages almost perfectly in the first set, staying out
of trouble on his serve and forcing a tiebreaker. It was Federer who failed
in the tiebreaker, most notably when he fluffed an overhead and Roddick
banged it past him into the open court for a pivotal 5-3 lead.

Federer, thoroughly unimpressed, won six of the second set's seven games,
setting up the single all-or-nothing frame.

Roddick was down love-40 in the second game and -- as Federer wasted two
replay challenges -- somehow managed to escape. But when he threw Federer
into a love-40 hole, Roddick didn't let him out. He hooked a running forehand
past Federer for his first service break and strode to his changeover chair
pumping his racket with the same hyperactive pulse that has been driving him
for the dozen years he's been a professional.

Nearly a decade ago, Roddick's serve was once the most lethal weapon in the
sport. Over time, his game has become more complete but, at the same time,
his serve has been overtaken by those of more than a dozen peers. On this
night, though, he crushed the last three offerings and Federer was unable to
answer.

Roddick, who has been struggling with injuries this year, said he finally
feels healthy.

"It would be a little presumptuous to go from people talking about me
retiring to winning a Masters event," Roddick said. "I probably wasn't as bad
as I looked two weeks ago."

Earlier, Roddick had joked, "I played pretty good in that Wimbledon match. I
would have won that one, too, if it was two out of three sets."

Federer was, as always, gracious. He told Roddick that, on this night, he
deserved to win.

"He's still very good," Federer said afterward. "I hope you guys give him
more credit than he's getting at the moment. Enjoy him while you have him."

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