Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Associated Press
WIMBLEDON, England
Andy Roddick’s mood was subdued, his words curt.
Once again, he’s leaving Wimbledon without the champion’s trophy. Only this time, Roddick heads home much earlier than a year ago — and after being beaten by a far-less-accomplished opponent.
The No. 5-seeded American erased an early deficit to even his fourth-round match against 82nd-ranked Yen-hsu Lu of Taiwan, then got broken for the only time all day in the very last game and lost 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 9-7 despite hitting 38 aces Monday.
“It never gets easier,” said Roddick, a three-time runner-up at Wimbledon. “Of course I’m going to be [ticked] off when I wake up tomorrow. I mean, if you got fired from your job, you probably wouldn’t wake up the next day in a great mood.”
This one sure looked like a mismatch going in, and not only because Roddick won all three previous meetings in straight sets.
Lu arrived last week with a 6-18 career record in majors, including five consecutive first-round exits. He also lost in Wimbledon’s first round the past four years. So even he had doubts as the match stretched beyond 41/2 hours.
“Fifth set, I don’t believe I can win, because he’s [a] better server than me,” Lu said. “But I just tell myself, ‘Even [if] I don’t believe, I have to fight.”’
Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 winner at the All England Club, lost to 2008 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, while Andy Murray — Britain’s hope for its first homegrown male champion since 1936 — defeated No. 18 Sam Querrey, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
The men’s quarterfinal matchups Wednesday will be top-seeded Roger Federer vs. No. 12 Tomas Berdych; No. 2 Nadal vs. No. 6 Robin Soderling; No. 3 Djokovic vs. Lu; and No. 4 Murray vs. No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.