Roddick reaches third round
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Andy Roddick eased into the Artois Championships third round with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Czech Radek Stepanek, reports BBC.
Roddick blasted Stepanek out of contention with a series of aces and booming shots from the baseline.
Stepanek, watched from the stands at Queen's by his fiancee Martina Hingis, lacked the American's accuracy, missing many of his first serves.
Roddick missed a chance to break in the seventh game of the second set before succeeding in the ninth.
Roddick, ranked five in the world, now faces the winner of the clash between Britons Jamie Baker and Alex Bogdanovic in the third round.
The world number five said: "You can't really explain what it's like having Jimmy Connors as coach. "He understands the pressures of playing in Grand Slams finals. Anything I've been through he's been through before - and then some.
"It's great to have his voice in my corner. He doesn't shout during training but his competitiveness is still there."
Fifth-seeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic (28) beat Danai Udomchoke of Thailand 6-3 6-4 to advance to the third round.
Roddick blasted Stepanek out of contention with a series of aces and booming shots from the baseline.
Stepanek, watched from the stands at Queen's by his fiancee Martina Hingis, lacked the American's accuracy, missing many of his first serves.
Roddick missed a chance to break in the seventh game of the second set before succeeding in the ninth.
Roddick, ranked five in the world, now faces the winner of the clash between Britons Jamie Baker and Alex Bogdanovic in the third round.
The world number five said: "You can't really explain what it's like having Jimmy Connors as coach. "He understands the pressures of playing in Grand Slams finals. Anything I've been through he's been through before - and then some.
"It's great to have his voice in my corner. He doesn't shout during training but his competitiveness is still there."
Fifth-seeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic (28) beat Danai Udomchoke of Thailand 6-3 6-4 to advance to the third round.