zatoicchi
09.08.08, 10:30
LOS ANGELES (TICKER) —Andy Roddick wants to regain his standing as the top-ranked American player. He is taking strong steps toward doing so this week at the Countrywide Classic.
The No. 1 seed at this $475,000 event, Roddick continued in the right direction on Friday with a 6-3, 6-1 quarterfinal victory over Frenchman Marc Gicquel.
Roddick drilled six aces, won 79 percent of his first-serve points and broke Gicquel four times in the 68-minute match.
“Between the shoulder and the neck I haven’t done a whole lot of serving,” Roddick said. “I had a decent rhythm on it tonight.”
Roddick has been bothered since May by a nagging muscle strain in his upper back and shoulder, and his play has suffered.
The 25-year-old has been forced to withdraw from several events - including the French Open - and on Monday, the reduced playing time caught up with him as he dropped from sixth to ninth in the rankings, falling behind countryman James Blake, who became the new top-ranked American at No. 8 overall.
Roddick rolls into L.A. semifinals (http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_ylt=AjmBovOKQNmunM_Lc.lD4ro4v7YF?slug=txlosa ngelestennis&prov=st&type=lgns)
The No. 1 seed at this $475,000 event, Roddick continued in the right direction on Friday with a 6-3, 6-1 quarterfinal victory over Frenchman Marc Gicquel.
Roddick drilled six aces, won 79 percent of his first-serve points and broke Gicquel four times in the 68-minute match.
“Between the shoulder and the neck I haven’t done a whole lot of serving,” Roddick said. “I had a decent rhythm on it tonight.”
Roddick has been bothered since May by a nagging muscle strain in his upper back and shoulder, and his play has suffered.
The 25-year-old has been forced to withdraw from several events - including the French Open - and on Monday, the reduced playing time caught up with him as he dropped from sixth to ninth in the rankings, falling behind countryman James Blake, who became the new top-ranked American at No. 8 overall.
Roddick rolls into L.A. semifinals (http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_ylt=AjmBovOKQNmunM_Lc.lD4ro4v7YF?slug=txlosa ngelestennis&prov=st&type=lgns)