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Men's Tennis
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Women's Tennis
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| Friday, June 1 |
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| Roddick retires after splitting sets with Hewitt ESPN.com news services | |||
PARIS -- Once again, Andy Roddick limped off center court at
Roland Garros, this time in tears because he couldn't finish the
match.
The 18-year-old American's brief but dramatic debut run in the
French Open ended after he took a nasty tumble in the third set
Friday against Lleyton Hewitt. Roddick tried to continue but played
only four more points before retiring because of a strained left
thigh.
Hewitt led 6-7 (6), 6-4, 2-2, 40-15 when Roddick called it
quits, tossing his racket aside in disappointment.
"It took me a while to regain my composure after the match,"
Roddick said. "You don't want to go out like that. I wanted to
make someone play well to beat me."
The young Floridian won the favor of French fans by overcoming
cramps and hobbling past Michael Chang in a five-set thriller
Wednesday. The third-round match against Hewitt was shaping up as
another tense endurance test until Roddick fell chasing down a
shot.
Tests indicated the injury was just a strain. Roddick said he
expects to be sidelined only a few days before beginning
preparations for his debut later this month at Wimbledon, where his
huge serve makes him a formidable threat.
One American did advance in the top half of the men's draw:
Detroit native Michael Russell, a 23-year-old qualifier ranked
122nd in the world. Russell outlasted Xavier Malisse 3-6, 6-4, 6-1,
1-6, 6-4 and will next face Gustavo Kuerten, the top-seeded
two-time champion.
"Who's he? What's his name?" Russell joked, before admitting:
"I'm going to be nervous."
Kuerten eliminated Karim Alami 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-2. No. 4
Juan Carlos Ferrero and No. 7 Yevgeny Kafelnikov also won, but No.
11 Tim Henman lost to Guillermo Canas.
Roddick's taxing win over Chang took a toll that likely
contributed to his injury. He said his legs remained sore Friday,
and his left hamstring began to tighten in the second set.
After hitting a running forehand in the third set, Roddick came
down awkwardly on his right ankle, stumbled and landed hard on his
right hip. He rolled onto a tarpaulin near the backstop and
remained curled on his side for almost a minute.
Grimacing, he sat up before a trainer finally reached him. After
receiving treatment for several minutes, Roddick slowly limped to
his chair, covered with clay.
He had his left thigh wrapped, then returned to the court and
won the next point with a booming forehand.
"I wanted to hit one more winner at Roland Garros," he joked.
But there would be no repeat of his gallant finish against
Chang. With the injury hindering his serve and movement, Roddick
double-faulted, hit two futile forehands and walked to the net to
concede his first defeat on clay after 12 consecutive wins.
The players shook hands and the sixth-seeded Hewitt raised his
arms in triumph, drawing jeers from fans who apparently found his
celebration excessive under the circumstances. The Australian said
he didn't hear any boos.
"Nobody likes to win like this," he said. "We were having a
great match."
Aside from the white caps both players wore backward, the
pairing offered a contrast in style between youngsters touted as
future Grand Slam champions: Roddick the big-swinging aggressor,
Hewitt the fleet-footed retriever.
Against Chang, Roddick had 37 aces, the most at Roland Garros in
at least a decade. Against Hewitt he hit none, an astounding
testament to the Aussie's quickness.
"Returning is one of the better parts of my game," said
Hewitt, 20. "He serves big, but I felt I was in most of his
service games."
But Roddick repeatedly summoned big serves when needed,
overcoming seven set points in the opening set, six when serving.
Hewitt was 0-for-10 on break points before finally converting one
for a 3-2 lead in the second set. Roddick broke right back with a
forehand winner to end a 22-shot exchange.
"We were battling," Roddick said. "It was good tennis. I wish
we could have finished it."
Hewitt sensed a rivalry in the making.
"We're going to have a lot of great matches, I'm sure," Hewitt
said. "He's got a great game. He's going to be good on every
surface."
For now, Hewitt continues on clay. For Roddick, the grass of
Wimbledon awaits. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | |
ALSO SEE Dokic slumps out to Hungarian qualifier Slammed: Blanco adds to Sampras' Paris misery Serena, Capriati grab easy second-round victories Roddick tips Chang in French Open marathon French Open favorites Kuerten, Ferrero dominate AUDIO/VIDEO   Pete Sampras will talk things over with his coach following Thursday's straight set loss (Courtesy: USA Network).wav: 222 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 | |
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