Spadea Ousts Roddick, Looks for First Career Title

Posted on March 8, 2004

Top-seeded Andy Roddick was upset in a tightly-contested three-setter Saturday by countryman Vince Spadea 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals at Scottsdale. In the final the No. 4-seeded Spadea will face No. 7 Nicolas Kiefer, who outlasted unseeded Victor Hanescu 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

"I'm frustrated a little bit because I was looking good and thought I may have made the upswing to where I was playing really well in the second," said Roddick, who hit six aces to five double faults. "Then it was weird because I starting serving badly."

Spadea is 0-2 in career finals, and it is his first final since August 1999 in Indianapolis. Spadea leads the head-to-head 2-1, with Kiefer winning their last meeting in L.A. last year. The doubles final will be unseeded South Africans Coetzee/Haggard vs. Americans (4)Leach-MacPhie.

World No. 1 Roger Federer fought off a stiff challenge from unseeded Jarkko Nieminen Saturday in the semifinals at Dubai, saving three set points to edge the Fin 7-6(7), 6-2 in a quest for his second title of the year following the Australian Open. In the final Federer will face another lefty in Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who outlasted Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

"There aren't too many left-handed players around and you could see clearly that I was struggling," Federer said. "I was missing too many easy shots. I thought he was the better player in the first set. I got lucky. It will be a difficult match (in the final). (Lopez) is a tough player and keeps improving." Federer is also attempting to become the first player to win the Dubai title twice in his career, and is 2-0 in meetings with Lopez.

The doubles final will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 after the Saturday semis when (1)Bhupathi/Santoro d. Pala/Vizner, and (2)Bjorkman/Paes d. Nadal/Robredo. Another Bhupathi/Paes final, though this time across the net, and they can't stand each other.

Spain came out the victor over Argentina Saturday at the ATP stop on the dirt in Acapulco, when unseeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco outlasted Argentine wildcard Guillermo Canas 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and (1)Carlos Moya beat (7)Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 7-6(4). Moya beat Verdasco in their only meeting last year at Miami.

The doubles final will be No. 1-ranked Bryan/Bryan (d. Fyrstenberg/Matkowski in their semifinal) vs. Chela/Massu (d. Argentines Arnold/Calleri 7-6 in the third).

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
In the all-Russian Saturday final at Doha, No. 3 seed Anastasia Myskina successfully defended her Doha title from 2003 with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over unseeded Svetlana Kuznetsova for her first title of the year.

"It was a really tough match," Myskina said. "It is always difficult when you are playing against a Russian and Svetlana was out to get me today." Myskina broke at 4-4 in the third, and fought through a shaky game after doubles faulting while serving for the match. "When a Russian plays a Russian it is more of a mental game. I told myself to stay calm and be positive and I am happy with the way I played in the second and third sets."

For Kuznetsova it was the second loss in a final in two weeks after previously losing to Justine Henin-Hardenne at Dubai. In the doubles final, Russians (2)Kuznetsova/Likhovtseva d. the Slovak/Spanish pair of (4)Husarova/C.Martinez 7-6(4), 6-2 for their second title of the year.

The all-ugly, all-unseeded final on the dirt at Acapulco Sunday will be Czech qualifier Iveta Benesova (d. Marrero in three in the semifinals) against Italy's Flavia "Of the Day" Pennetta (d. (3)Sanchez Lorenzo). In the doubles final, the Aussie/Venezuelan combo of (4)McShea/Sequera d. Czechs Blahotova/G.Navratilova 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

TENNIS-X TOP 10 OPEN ERA No. 1s
Compiled by the Tennis-X staff, here is the definitive Top 10 all-time list of No. 1 ranked players, finally putting to rest who's the best. The list was compiled from criteria including number of slams won, weeks at No. 1, year-end No. 1 rankings, overall titles won, winning percentage in finals, records vs. other No. 1s in their era, ability to break things, and other "intangibles." Discuss:

1. PETE SAMPRAS -- Six consecutive year-end No. 1 finishes will never be touched
2. BJORN BORG -- 6 French, 5-straight Wimbledon, won roughly 2/3 of finals
3. JOHN MCENROE -- Singles and doubles virtuoso, won 75% of singles finals
4. IVAN LENDL -- 8 straight US Open finals, 94 career titles, the Lendl-nator
5. ANDRE AGASSI -- Did it at all four slams against best-era competition
6. JIMMY CONNORS -- Dominated by other No. 1s, 109 titles padded by "Connors Tour" wins
7. STEFAN EDBERG -- Year-end No. 1 in 1990-91, 72 weeks at the top,
8. MATS WILANDER -- 1988 year-end No. 1, 20 weeks at No. 1, won three slams in '88
9. BORIS BECKER -- No year-end No. 1, only 12 weeks at the top, 7 Wimbledon finals
10. JOHN NEWCOMBE -- Two-time year-end No. 2, 5 Open Era and 2 pre-Open Era slams

ESPN INDIAN WELLS TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (EST)
ESPN2 03/14/04 SUN 02:00P 04:00P LIVE EARLY ROUND COVERAGE DAY #1
ESPN2 03/15/04 MON 05:00P 07:00P LIVE EARLY ROUND COVERAGE DAY #2
ESPN2 03/15/04 MON 10:00P 12:00A LIVE EARLY ROUND COVERAGE DAY #2
ESPN2 03/16/04 TUE 05:00P 07:00P LIVE EARLY ROUND COVERAGE DAY #3
ESPN2 03/16/04 TUE 10:00P 12:00A LIVE EARLY ROUND COVERAGE DAY #3
ESPN 03/17/04 WED 03:00P 05:00P LIVE WOMEN'S QF OR MEN'S 4TH RD
ESPN2 03/17/04 WED 05:00P 07:00P LIVE WOMEN'S QF OR MEN'S 4TH RD
ESPN2 03/17/04 WED 10:00P 12:00A LIVE WOMEN'S QF OR MEN'S 4TH RD
ESPN 03/18/04 THU 03:00P 05:00P LIVE WOMEN'S QF OR MEN'S QF
ESPN2 03/18/04 THU 05:00P 07:00P LIVE WOMEN'S QF OR MEN'S QF
ESPN2 03/18/04 THU 10:00P 12:00A LIVE WOMEN'S QF OR MEN'S QF
ESPN 03/19/04 FRI 03:00P 05:00P LIVE WOMEN'S SF #1 OR MEN'S QF
ESPN2 03/19/04 FRI 05:00P 07:00P LIVE WOMEN'S SF#1 OR #2 OR MEN'S QF
ESPN2 03/20/04 SAT 01:00A 02:30A DELAY WOMEN'S SF#2 OR MEN'S QF
ESPN 03/20/04 SAT 03:00P 05:00P LIVE MEN'S SF #1
ESPN 03/20/04 SAT 05:00P 07:00P LIVE MEN'S SF #2
ESPN2 03/21/04 SUN 03:00P 05:00P LIVE WOMEN'S FINAL
ESPN2 03/21/04 SUN 05:00P 07:00P LIVE MEN'S FINAL

NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
The Pacific Life Open/Indian Wells WTA singles main draw will be made on Monday, while the ATP singles draw will be made on Tuesday...Indian Wells wildcards for next week have gone to Alex Corretja, Thomas Enqvist, Tommy Haas, Marat Safin, Alexandra Stevenson, Iva Majoli, Alex Bogomolov, Tatiana Golovin, Viktoriya Kutuzova, Angela Haynes, Maria Kirilenko, and Sesil Karatancheva of Bulgaria, with two additional women's spots to be determined...After beating Jarkko Nieminen in the Dubai semis, and now facing Feliciano Lopez, world No. 1 Roger Federer admits he is not too fond of facing the left-handers: "I'm really not used to it, there's not many around and we could see clearly that I was struggling and missing a lot of easy shots (against Nieminen). That's because you think the ball is going one way and it goes another, and it took me some time. Once again, my serve saved me out of some trouble and I had to play aggressive."...Nicolas Kiefer is looking to win his first ATP title since October 2000 in Hong Kong, today in Scottsdale...Vincenzo Spadea will try and shake the "journeyman" title today with his first career title at Scottsdale...What is up with Andre Agassi playing shortstop for the Boston Red Sox? Thankfully it's just another Nike commercial and not the real deal.