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
Related Posts -
AEGON Championships, Garry Webber Open, and AEGON Classic This week it tennis has been fairly busy, with players getting in the tune-ups that they need before Wimbledon. The men have been working out the kinks at the AEGON Championships and the Garry Webber Open. The women have been getting their last matches in with the AEGON Classic. The...... -
Davis Cup, Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, Collector Swedish Open The week following Wimbledon was still relatively busy, featuring multiple menâs and womenâs tournaments with few big-name players. The men were busy with the Davis Cup and the Campbellâs Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, while the women battled it out in the Collector Swedish Open. The Davis Cup Quarterfinals brought...... -
Epic Wimbledon Final Recap The epic Wimbledon final that happened last Sunday between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick has been ruled as the most viewed of all men's finals at the All England Club in the past ten years. According to NBC last Thursday, an average of 5.71 million people had tuned in, in...... -
Tennis Season Wrap up Now that the year is almost through, it seems like an excellent time for some reflection and wrap up on all things tennis from 2008. In women's tennis, for example, Alla Kudryavtseva made history in Wimbledon when she revealed the true reason behind wanting to beat Sharapova in the second...... - Venus Williams Manages to Defeat Her Sister Serena on the Courts In an important season ending tournament, Venus manages to advance but unfortunately has to leave her sister, Serena, behind. Venus Williams recently managed to defeat her sister Serena in a set of three matches, with scores of 5 - 7, 6 - 1, 6 - 0. The match occurred on......
Related Websites -
O’Meara/Price Team Wins Legends The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament ended on Sunday at the second hole in a playoff with Mark O’Meara and Nick Price defeating John Cook and Joey Sindelar. It marks O’Meara’s first win on the Champions Tour. He’s come in second several times, but has never won the top...... -
Van Pelt Beats Mallinger in a Sudden Death Battle at the US Bank Bo Van Pelt finally managed to take his first PGA tour event win, though he may never be given a chance to defend it. He managed to win against John Mallinger during the second playoff hole, allowing him to take the win in the U.S. Bank Championship on Sunday after...... -
Round 4: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Championship Here is a look at the play by play and some of the highlights of the fourth round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Championship! Chad Campbell unfortunately came up empty for the third time in his career during a playoff on Sunday while golfing in Las...... -
Bridgestone Invitational: Firestone Golf Tournament Recap Tiger Woods manages to take the lead midway through the final round of the Bridgestone tournament. Tiger Woods managed to ride his putting stroke, allowing him to take the lead in the middle of the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational World Golf Championship on Aug 9. Woods, who currently...... -
Golf Preview: The Tour Championship 2009 The tour championship field has been finalized finally after some dramatic Sunday play at Cog Hill this weekend. John Senden managed to secure the final spot, the 30th spot, which is for this Tour Championship, which gave him at least somewhat of a chance of winning the $10 million dollar......
- 10 Year Warranty Pool & Spa Covers Pools & Spas Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
- Current Year, Next Year Calendars Paper Collectibles
- Tractor International Harvester Hybrid Vehicles
- Australian States Australia Stamps
- Open Pit BBQ Sauces Outdoor Cooking & Eating Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
Categories:
News, Tennis, Tournaments and Championships
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment