Roddick, Davydenko Crash Out at ATP AustriaPosted on May 24, 2007 Exits by top seed Nikolay Davydenko and No. 2 seed Andy Roddick threw The Hypo Group Tennis International 2007 tournament in Austria into disarray just days before the start of the French Open in Paris.
Hoping to get some last-minute claycourt practice in at the tiny ATP event, the Russian Davydenko received a confidence-crusher from unseeded Argentine Juan Monaco, losing 6-4 in the third, while Roddick was straight-setted 7-5, 6-3 by Frenchman Gael "Force" Monfils, who needed a wildcard to get into the event. Roddick failed to serve out the first set at 5-4, while Monaco likewise led 5-3 in the first-set tiebreak of his match before faltering. "I was about disappointed to lose it after leading 5-3 in the tiebreak," Monaco said. "I couldn't take advantage of my opportunities. But I told myself two things at the beginning of the third set. One -- Davydenko looks a bit more tired than me. Two -- I can win this match." Roddick made only one other European claycourt stop before the French at Rome, where Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela fed him a bagel in a straight set loss right after Roddick had beaten former Roland Garros champ Gaston Gaudio in the previous round. Also into the semis Thursday were No. 4 seed Lleyton Hewitt who easily dismissed Argentine Diego Hartfield 6-2, 6-2, and unseeded Peruvian Luis Horna who outlasted Spaniard Al Montanes 7-6(4), 6-7(2), 6-1. On Friday Hewitt will face Monfils, then Monaco will square off against Horna in an all-unseeded semifinal. Hewitt's only claycourt title came in 1999 at Delray Beach, Fl. |
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