Wed, September 03, 2008
NEW YORK - Andy Roddick, who made it past the US Open quarter-finals just once since winning here in 2003, needed just 87 minutes to eliminate Fernando Gonzalez in the fourth round on Tuesday, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.
American Roddick, who skipped the Beijing Olympics to concentrate on the North American hardcourt season, blitzed 11th-seeded Gonzalez by hammering eight aces and winning 90 percent of his first-serve points.
Roddick made just seven unforced errors and blasted 88 winners to 53 for Gonzalez on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
After the match, Roddick compared his victory to a boxing match.
"It was maybe a standing 10 count," said Roddick, who feels his game is rounding into shape just at the right time. "But even when I was up two breaks I wanted to just play one good game at a time."
The 26-year-old Roddick now has a career 8-3 record against Chilean Gonzalez, who was bidding for his second appearance in the quarter-finals.
The eighth-seeded Roddick advances to the quarter-finals, where he will play Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Roddick has 25 career singles titles but just one Grand Slam title, which he earned in Flushing Meadows five years ago. He reached the final in 2006, where he lost to Roger Federer, but didn't get past the quarter-finals last year.
Roddick said he is looking forward to the challenge of playing Djokovic, who he beat in Dubai for one of his two titles this year.
He also joked about being older than third-seeded Djokovic, who had to battle through a sore hip, twisted ankle and other ailments to beat Tommy Robredo in an earlier fourth-round match.
"I got to feel good because he (Djokovic) has got about 16 injuries right now." Roddick said. "His next opponent (Roddick) is a lot older than him.
"Novak has made himself one of the elite players. I just got to try to get the upset."
(Agencies)
