Aussie Open third round: Roddick vs. Santoro
The side of the Australian Open draw for American Andy Roddick has opened up a bit, with both seeded Philip Kohlschreiber and David Nalbandian having fallen by the wayside.
But Roddick, the top American, had to work hard for a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (1), 6-2 win over Xavier Malisse of Belgium and on Friday Down Under he faces 36-year-old Fabrice Santoro of France, who needed five sets — improving to 20-15 in matches that go all the way — to oust No. 32 Kohlschreiber.
Roddick, seeded seventh for the first grand slam of the year, began slowly but seized control of the match when he won the third set tiebreak.
“Things didn’t quite go my way in the first set,” Roddick said.
The 2003 U.S. Open champion admitted to some nervy moments against Malisse, to whom he had never lost in seven meetings. Roddick fired 19 aces and won 83 percent of his first serves. The American limited his unforced errors to 27 while taking advantage of the 50 committed by Malisse
“That’s the nature of our job, that’s what makes it exciting to me,” Roddick said. “I’m just happy to be through to the next round.”
Santoro, who is +700 on WagerWeb.com vs. Roddick, is the oldest player in the draw, and you would think that long match against Kohlschreiber would be an advantage for Roddick, who is -2000 to beat the Frenchman on WagerWeb.com.
“You know, he’s capable of making any match pretty tough,” Roddick said of Santoro. Probably the best set of hands (in the draw).”
Roddick last defeated Santoro 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 at the U.S. Open in August, while he lost 8-6 in the fifth set against Kohlschreiber at last year’s Aussie Open.
Roddick leads the all-time series with Santoro 3-1, with the loss coming on the carpet in 2007 in Lyon, France.
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