Roddick Devours Tuna Melzer to Move Into ATP Houston Semifinals

Posted on April 18, 2004

Top-seeded Andy Roddick edged Austrian Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer 7-5, 7-6(5) Friday night to advance into the semifinals at the U.S. Claycourts in Houston. The Austrian employed a barrage of drop shots that kept Roddick on his toes over the two extended sets.

"It's a little weird," Roddick said of playing Tuna Melt. "He hits those shots and he goes with them. Half the time you're not expecting them and half the time you hope he hits them. It's definitely a weird dynamic playing against him when he has all his shots."

Roddick stuck with his game plan of making Melzer work extra hard on his service games.

"I thought I was really persistent tonight, that is how I would describe it," said Roddick, who has reached the last three Houston finals, winning two titles. "I've definitely hit the ball better this week, but it was there when I needed it to be." Tuna Melt was a semifinalist in Houston last year.

Joining Roddick in the semifinals were (5)Andrei Pavel (d. (Blake), (7)Luis "Me So" Horna (d. T.Martin), and unseeded Tommy Haas, who lit up Cali-Russian Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 6-0.

Saturday's match-ups will be (5)Pavel vs. Haas (series tied 3-3), and (1)Roddick vs. (7)Me So (Horna leads series 1-0).

Marat Safin made his case as a French Open threat Friday at Estoril, edging clay specialist and No. 4 seed Tommy Robredo 7-6(2), 2-6, 7-6(5) to move into the semifinals.

The No. 8-seeded Safin is the highest-profile player left in the event, and was joined in the semis by No. 5 seed Juan Ignacio "I'm No Dope" Chela (d. Olivier "All We Need is Just a Little" Patience), Irakli "Freak Show" Labadze (d. Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal by walkover (fractured ankle)), known for his flashy if not erratic game, and German qualifier Florian Mayer (d. Hanescu).

On court Saturday in the semifinals will be (8)Safin vs. Freak Show, and (Q)Mayer vs. (5)Chela. Safin on facing the Freak Show: "We have known each other since we were nine years old and we have played together in Russia. We played in the Under-16 European Championships and he beat me in the quarterfinals. He's one of my best friends and I really like him. It will be nice for me to play him in the semis and hopefully get revenge." The doubles final will pit unseeded Argentines Chela/Gaudio (winners in Vina del Mar earlier in the year) against the top-seeded Czech team of Cermak/Friedl.

Only one match was completed at Valencia Friday before rain suspended play for the day, with Albert Montanes beating qualifier Marc Lopez 6-0 in the third in an all-Spanish match-up. Fernando Verdasco lead (7)David Ferrer 5-2 when play was halted, with (1)Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic and (6)Al Martin vs. Christophe Rochus never getting underway.

Today's semis at Valencia will follow the rain make-ups, and will be Montanes vs. (6)A.Martin or C.Rochus, and (1)Ferrero or Baby Goran vs. (7)Ferrer or Verdasco.

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW

No. 5 seed Lindsay Davenport's winning streak came to an end Friday at Charleston when No. 11 seed Patty Schnyder surprised last week's Amelia Island champion 6-3, 6-2 to move into the semifinals.

The Swiss was joined in the semis by No. 4 seed Venus Williams (d. (9)Vera "Warren" Zvonareva), No. 16 Conchita Martinez (d. (8)Petrova), and unseeded Jelena Kostanic (d. Mandula). Saturday's match-ups are Kostanic vs. (4)Venus (first meeting), and (11)Schnyder vs. (16)Martinez (Martinez leads 6-2), with the doubles semifinals Ruano Pascual/Suarez vs. Black/Stubbs, and Pratt/Schnyder vs. Navratilova/Raymond.

Spain's Marta Marrero provided the only upset excitement Friday in the Estoril quarterfinals, ousting No. 5-seeded Barbara "Don't Give a" Schett 6-0, 6-2. Also into the semis were (3)Emilie Loit (d. Klara "Kouky" Koukalova in three), (6)Iveta Benesova (d. (4)Chladkova), and unseeded Frenchwoman Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (d. Sucha in three). Saturday's semifinal match-ups are Marrero vs. (3)Loit, and (6)Benesova vs. Cohen-Aloro, with the doubles final Blahotova/G.Navratilova vs. Gagliardi/Husarova.

ATP MONTE CARLO STRUGGLES
Next week the ATP Tour stops at the Masters Series-Monte Carlo, where Andy Roddick is the top seed. Here are the players of note to never win a match at Monte Carlo:

Greg Rusedski (GBR) 0-4
Max "The Beast" Mirnyi (BLR) 0-3
Michael Chang (USA) 0-3
Todd Martin (USA) 0-2
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) 0-2
Bjorn Borg (SWE) 0-2
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 0-1
Yannick Noah (FRA) 0-1
Patrick Rafter (AUS) 0-1
Struggling in Monte:
Andy Roddick (USA) 2-2
Andre Agassi (USA) 2-4
Marat Safin (RUS) 3-4

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