By wire sources Roddick loses to Anderson at Delray Beach ADVERTISING DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Andy Roddick had three chances to close out Kevin Anderson on Friday night, and failed each time. The third set was even worse. Roddick lost
Roddick loses to Anderson at Delray Beach
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Andy Roddick had three chances to close out Kevin Anderson on Friday night, and failed each time. The third set was even worse.
Roddick lost 2-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4 to the seventh-seeded South African in the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.
One of Roddick’s three match points was on his own serve, but he couldn’t get his first opportunity in. He eventually netted a backhand slice.
Anderson, who never before survived three match points in a match, next plays top-seeded John Isner, who advanced with a solid 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 8 seed Bernard Tomic of Australia.
Roddick saved three set points in the second, but pushed a forehand long on the final point of the tiebreaker. Anderson squandered a 2-0 lead in the deciding set, but he moved ahead for good when he broke Roddick for the final time in the fifth game.
Despite the loss, Roddick feels his game is getting into better shape after dealing with a right hamstring and right ankle injury this season.
Dudi Sela of Israel was the first player to score a semifinal berth, posting a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-0 win against fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.
The 75th-ranked Sela reached his first ATP World Tour semifinal since the 2010 Chennai tournament.
Daniilidou, Jankovic reach Malaysia semifinals
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Eleni Daniilidou of Greece defeated Australia’s Olivia Rogowska 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 on Saturday to move into the Malaysian Open semifinals.
Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic from Serbia also advanced after her opponent, Japan’s sixth-seeded Ayumi Morita, pulled out because of a shoulder injury at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort.
Daniilidou will have only a few hours of rest before she faces Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei in the semifinals. Second-seeded Jankovic, currently ranked 14th, will play No. 5 seed Petra Martic of Croatia.
The tournament has been hit by injuries and rain delays. Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland withdrew Friday due to an elbow injury.
Murray snaps Djokovic’s 10-match winning streak
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic lost for the first time this season, beaten by Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5 Friday in the semifinals of the Dubai Championships. Djokovic had been on a 10-match winning streak that included the Australian Open title.
In the final, Murray will play Roger Federer, who edged Juan Martin del Potro 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6). Del Potro lost four set points in the second-set tiebreaker at 6-2, with Federer winning the last six points. Federer will be going for his fifth Dubai title, but his first in five years.
This was a big boost for Murray, who lost to Djokovic in five sets in the Australian Open semifinals.
Murray had lost seven of the last 11 matches against Djokovic, who was bidding for a fourth straight Dubai title. But the Scotsman made it look easy at the Aviation Club.
Murray broke to go up 4-2 in the first set and saved two break points to make it 5-2. He used a stellar serve, winning 94 percent of his first service points in the first set and 85 percent overall.
Verdasco reaches Mexican Open final
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Spaniard Fernando Verdasco defeated Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-3, 6-3 on Friday to reach the Mexican Open final.
The eighth-seeded Verdasco didn’t allow a single break opportunity to Wawrinka, cruising to the victory at The Fairmont Acapulco Princess.
Verdasco next plays top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain or Santiago Giraldo of Colombia, who were to play later Friday.
In the women’s tournament, No. 3 seed Sara Errani eliminated top-seeded Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-1 in an all-Italian semifinal. Errani broke twice in each set against her good friend and doubles partner in the tournament.
By wire sources
