Fourth-seeded American Andy Roddick used a dominating serve to beat Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (5) to reach the US Open quarterfinals for the third straight year.
Of the more than 100 matches scheduled for Wednesday, that was the only one completed, making for a grand total of four in the books since Monday. Roddick and Andre Agassi are the only men who have quarterfinal berths secured.
PHOTO: AP
"It was tough conditions out there tonight," Roddick said in a TV interview. "The balls were huge. They were like watermelons out there. It was tough, and I was glad to get through it. It was a little slick. Until I slipped, I didn't know it was that bad."
Just two other matches even got under way Wednesday, before being postponed until Thursday. Top-ranked Kim Clijsters of Belgium took a 3-0 lead over No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo of France, who committed 10 unforced errors in less than 15 minutes of play. No. 12 Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands led No. 8 Rainer Schuettler of Germany 5-1 after 25 minutes. The winner will play Roddick.
"This is a rolling calendar at this point, which is changing by the hour," said Arlen Kantarian, the US Tennis Association's chief executive for professional tennis. "We continue to make our best effort to complete this tournament on time. We are determined to make the best of a very difficult situation."
If Thursday is a washout, the men's final could be played next Monday, Kantarian said. The last time that happened at the US Open was 1987; Goran Ivanisevic beat Patrick Rafter on a Monday to win the 2001 title at Wimbledon.
Roddick and Malisse started at 9:15pm, by which point most players had been told to go to their hotels. They played for 44 minutes before rain forced them to stop with Roddick ahead 6-3, 2-2. When they returned, they played 11 more minutes, enough time for Roddick to break to go ahead 4-3 in the second set.
But on the final point of that game, Roddick slid behind the baseline, putting a hand down to stay upright. Malisse, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2002, threw his racket over to his changeover seat, then tossed a water bottle. Tournament referee Brian Earley walked out to check the court, and action was held up for another 7 minutes. But then, miraculously, the fourth-round match resumed -- and finished.
That's because Roddick, who lost to the eventual US Open champion in the quarterfinals the last two years, served brilliantly. He had fewer aces than Malisse, but with speed and placement was able to get the upper hand. Midway through the third set, Roddick had won 52 of the 56 points played on his serve, holding at love in nine of 13 games. Roddick then faced break points trailing, but pushed the third set into a tiebreaker.
Roddick then won the final four points to win the match
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