Andy Roddick overpowered Denis Gremelmayr 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday to set up a showdown against Juan Martin del Potro for the Countrywide Classic title.
Del Potro, a rangy 19-year-old Argentine who’s on a roll, made quick work of Mardy Fish in taking a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
The top-seeded Roddick, looking for his third ATP championship of the year and 26th of his career, rode his serve-and-volley game and solid groundstrokes to the easy win over his 26-year-old German foe.
Roddick is ranked ninth and Gremelmayr is 89th, and the match went to form. The American broke service when Gremelmayr double-faulted in the fourth game of the opening set and was in command the rest of the way.
The match, which lasted just an hour and two minutes, ended when Gremelmayr hit a volley into the net. Roddick gave a quick arm pump and waved to the crowd.
The 25-year-old Roddick, looking sharp again after battling nagging injuries much of this year, also mixed some drop shots in with his usual power game to keep Gremelmayr off-balance.
“I saw early on that he was playing way back on my first serve,” Roddick said.
Looking ahead to the match against the 198cm del Potro, Roddick said the Argentine is awkward and can get to shots by using his long reach to lunge at the ball, adding, “I’m going to have to pressure him in the corners.”
Winning his 13th consecutive match and aiming for his third victory in less than a month, del Potro needed only 1:22 to finish off his American opponent.
The third-seeded del Potro played almost flawlessly in dominating Fish, sending him scurrying back and forth before finishing off points with powerful, well-placed groundstrokes.
Even at 198cm del Potro had the agility to chase down virtually everything Fish hit at him.
“He’s 19 years old, which is scary,” Fish said. “He looks like he’s 25. He’s got a huge game.”
Del Potro even impressed himself.
“I played unbelievably today,” he said. “Mardy is an incredible player.”
Del Potro captured his first career ATP title by upsetting Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-5 in Munich on July 13, then beat Jurgen Melzer 6-2, 6-1 for a win the following week in Kitzbuehel, Austria.
Both those wins came on clay.
He has moved up to 24th in the world rankings.
Fish, who had beaten del Potro at Memphis last year in their only other meeting, said, “He’ll be in the top 20 in no time.”
The 26-year-old Fish has struggled since making the final at Indian Wells in March with a run that included upsets of No. 1 Roger Federer and two other top-10 players. Novak Djokovic beat him in the title match.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely