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Roddick victorious at Kooyong, ready for Australian Open

Andy Roddick hits a backhand return to Marcos Baghdatis during the final of the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Andy Roddick won his third consecutive title at Kooyong yesterday and said he'd happily exchange them all for one at the Australian Open.

"Is there a three-for-one special deal -- 3 AAMIs for an Aussie Open?" Roddick joked with the crowd, excusing himself if he sounded ungrateful, after a 7-5, 6-3 win over Marcos Baghdatis.

Roddick beat top-ranked Roger Federer at the Kooyong exhibition last year, then lost a lopsided semi-final to the Swiss star at the Australian Open.

He did not drop a set this year as he matched Michael Chang's three straight titles from 1995. Andre Agassi won three titles in four years in a streak broken by Pete Sampras' win in 2002.

Now he wants to improve his record at the Australian Open, where his best results have been semi-finals appearances in 2005 and last year.

"I'm still young and hungry at 25," Roddick said, hoping that the elation that came with leading the US to its Davis Cup win was still fresh enough to help him end a run of 16 majors without a title since his only Grand Slam win at the 2003 US Open.

"It was great to win that Davis Cup -- to get to feel something like that so recently makes you want to win even more," he said.

Roddick started and finished with aces against Baghdatis, who was runner-up to Federer in the 2006 Australian Open.

The 22-year-old Cypriot was a late inclusion in the eight-man invitational draw at Kooyong after Federer withdrew because of a serious stomach illness.

Baghdatis has a tough opening week at Melbourne Park, facing 2002 champion Thomas Johansson in the opening round in a difficult side of the draw that also includes 2005 champion Marat Safin, 2005 finalist Lleyton Hewitt and No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic.

"I know it's a bit tough, but life is tough -- at least, my life was tough -- so I guess I have to accept it and deal with it and try to do as best as I can," Baghdatis said.

Roddick, in the same half of the Australian Open draw as No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal, has a qualifier in the first round followed by a possible meeting with young American player Donald Young in the second round.
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