Andy Roddick won the Brisbane International this past Sunday at the Pat Rafter Arena by defeating the defending champ Radek Stepanek in two sets, but it wasn't easy. A tiebreak was needed both times. This was Roddick's first tournament after his knee injury last year that ended his season early in September. The first set was evenly matched before Roddick won the tiebreak, with each scoring on serves. But Roddick took a lead of 5-1 with 5 match points in the second set before Stepanek rallied and forced the tiebreak, but couldn't hold on to his momentum. Roddick won 9-7.
It was Roddick's first win in Australia in 10 years, since he took the title at the Australian Open junior tournament. It's his 28th career title. The Grand Slam starts in Melbourne on Monday, January 18th, and the win in Sydney has helped Roddick feel more confident about that tournament. Winning his first tournament since his injury has made him feel better about his chances.
Stepanek won the Brisbane International last year, and understands the boost you get winning the first tournament of the season. Though he didn't win, he felt good about his performance and is looking forward to the Australian Open.
Roddick's Grand Slam history is disappointing, as he'd managed the semifinal 4 times in 7 years without taking home the title. He has opted out of the Davis Cup, raising questions about whether his knee is really ready for his comeback, but he says it just to the lighten his workload and make managing the rest easier.
As for Roddick, his serves seem to be what gave him the advantage in Sydney. Even though he did have a disappointing period during the second set where his lead leaked away, he managed an impressive 77% success rates with his serves, and he managed 7 aces. He did have a double fault on his first serve in the second set, but recovered his form quickly.
He was also in rare form in the 11th game when he shouted at Fergus Murphy, the chair umpire who gave a number of questionable line calls in Stepanek's favor.
Roddick, formerly number 1 in the world, now stands at number 7, while Stepanek is number 2. They battled it out for over 2 hours on the court before Roddick finally took the title, a good test for Roddick's knee after the injury, which could help prepare him for the Australian Open. His win ended a 9-game streak for Stepanek at the Brisbane International.
The women's title was taken by Kim Clijsters, who defeated Justine Henin 8-6. Henin has bowed out of the Sydney International because of an injury she sustained, a strained upper left leg. Clijsters and Henin both hail from Belgium, and Clijsters predicts that both women will be in the top 10 this year. This is Clijsters fifth tournament since her comeback, and the first time Henin has played in the top tier since she quit in May 2008 while she was ranked number 1.
Photo Credits: Arete13
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