Roddick takes fourth Queen's Club title
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
LONDON, Jun 18 (AP) : Andy Roddick won his fourth Queen's Club title Sunday, saving match point in the second set before beating France's Nicolas Mahut 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-2) in the final of the grass-court tune-up for Wimbledon.
Roddick, seeded second, also won from 2003-05 and joined Lleyton Hewitt, Boris Becker and John McEnroe as four-time winners of this event.
"I think it's nice winning at tournaments that you really enjoy playing at," Roddick said. "To have won four is great. I'll have a number of chances to get five. My focus right now is on getting No. 1 at Wimbledon."
Mahut, who beat French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, was not broken once in the match. He is 0-2 against Roddick.
Roddick served 24 aces and had only one break point. That came at 4-4 in the opening set, but Mahut hit a low forehand volley to force an error. Mahut then earned the only break of the match to claim the set when Roddick's attempt to send a winner down the line went wide.
Games went with serve in the second set before Roddick faced a match point at 7-6 in the tiebreaker, but Mahut netted a forehand and then made another forehand error to drop the set.
"It's good to get some of those tough matches in before Wimbledon," Roddick said.
Both players held serve easily in the final set.
"I don't know if I was on top up until maybe 3-0 in the breaker," Roddick said.
"I felt like I returned pretty well, but that was just a volleying display I felt like he put on there today. I was lucky to get out of there", he added.
Roddick, seeded second, also won from 2003-05 and joined Lleyton Hewitt, Boris Becker and John McEnroe as four-time winners of this event.
"I think it's nice winning at tournaments that you really enjoy playing at," Roddick said. "To have won four is great. I'll have a number of chances to get five. My focus right now is on getting No. 1 at Wimbledon."
Mahut, who beat French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, was not broken once in the match. He is 0-2 against Roddick.
Roddick served 24 aces and had only one break point. That came at 4-4 in the opening set, but Mahut hit a low forehand volley to force an error. Mahut then earned the only break of the match to claim the set when Roddick's attempt to send a winner down the line went wide.
Games went with serve in the second set before Roddick faced a match point at 7-6 in the tiebreaker, but Mahut netted a forehand and then made another forehand error to drop the set.
"It's good to get some of those tough matches in before Wimbledon," Roddick said.
Both players held serve easily in the final set.
"I don't know if I was on top up until maybe 3-0 in the breaker," Roddick said.
"I felt like I returned pretty well, but that was just a volleying display I felt like he put on there today. I was lucky to get out of there", he added.