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Roddick rides to Paris rescue
02/11/2005 21:37 - (SA)
Paris - Andy Roddick rode to the rescue of the star-stripped 2.1m euro Paris Masters on Wednesday rescuing the image of a tournament severely battered by the absence of his rival heavyweight talents.
Top seed Roddick, the world number three, struggled past American compatriot Taylor Dent 6-4 6-7 (2/7) 7-5 to set up a clash with Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty for a quarter-final place.
It also eased the pressure on organisers left reeling by the injury-enforced withdrawals of the world's top two Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as well as Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin and Andre Agassi.
Roddick achieved his fourth career win in five meetings against Dent who was left to rue failing to convert any of his 11 break points.
"I feel I was a little lucky," admitted Roddick.
"It was a difficult match and he played well. I'm just happy to get through."
The 23-year-old Roddick, who won his fifth title of 2005 in Lyon last week without dropping his serve, endured a nervous start, fighting off three break points in the sixth game.
But he made Dent pay for his wastefulness by converting a fourth break point of his own to go 5-4 before taking the opening set.
Roddick on the defensive
Dent seized his opportunity to level the match in the tiebreak taking a set off Roddick for the first time since he won their opening career duel in Memphis in 2003.
Roddick was on the defensive for most of the deciding set having to save break points in the first, fifth, seventh and ninth games as he just managed to squeeze out a 5-4 lead.
But he then stopped the rot to serve to love for a 6-5 advantage and two blistering returns helped him to two match points in the 12th game. He wrapped up the match after 2hr 18min when Dent sent down his eighth double fault.
Roddick became the second American to make the third round.
Robby Ginepri, the 12th seed, muscled past Spain's Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-7 (7/9), 6-3 as he continued his run of form late in the year.
Ginepri next faces seventh-seeded Argentinian Gaston Gaudio, the former French Open champion, who eased past French wildcard Fabrice Santoro 6-4 7-5 for a place in the quarter-finals.
Hrbaty, the 16th seed, made the third round with a comfortable 6-3 6-3 win over France's Jean-Rene Lisnard.
Sweden's Thomas Johannson, the ninth seed, beat Belgian qualifier Kristof Vliegen 6-3 6-2 and next faces Croatia's sixth seed Ivan Ljubicic while Spain's Tommy Robredo, the 14th seed, saw off French wildcard Arnaud Clememt 7-5 6-2.
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