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Roddick gives US winning start
08/02/2008 19:04 - (SA)
Vienna - Andy Roddick survived the awkward Juergen Melzer, a partisan Austrian crowd and an indoor clay court he clearly detests to give US a winning start in their Davis Cup title defence on Friday.
The newly-laid court at the Ferry Dusika Hallenstadion
produced more loose debris than normal and the world number six
spat out his annoyance at dodgy bounces more than once during
his 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-7 6-3 victory in four hours six minutes.
Roddick eventually ground out his seventh successive win
over left-hander Melzer, ranked 57th in the world, who pushed
him all the way and briefly looked set to provide a shock.
After winning the first set Roddick's dissatisfaction with
the court began to show with a series of uncharacteristically
gifted points in the second and Melzer squared the match with a
serve straight at the body.
Melzer was not finished
Roddick and Melzer swapped two service breaks in a
hard-fought third set before the American's power and a
determination to knuckle down and accept the bad bounces began
to pay dividends.
Another break in the fifth game put Roddick in charge but
Melzer, roared on by his home-city crowd, was not finished and
he stormed back from an early break to take the fourth set on a
tiebreak.
Melzer was on a roll and a rattled Roddick surrendered his
first service game in the deciding set before rediscovering his
focus with a series of rapier winners which earned two
successive and decisive breaks.
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