Roddick eyes hat-trick
ByReuters
Published 11/06/2005 at 13:04 GMT
Andy Roddick remained on course for a third successive Stella Artois title by beating Radek Stepanek 6-3 2-6 6-2 in the semi-finals of the grasscourt event .The American will face towering Ivo Karlovic in Sunday's final after the Croatian beat 2002 Austra
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Roddick is bidding to join John McEnroe and Lleyton Hewitt as the only players to win three titles in a row at the Wimbledon warm-up event.
"That would be huge," the second seed told reporters. " I came in here a couple of years ago not ever having played that well on grass.
"To be going for a third, it's great, and to join names like that is pretty cool, too."
Roddick overcame a second-set lull to sweep aside the Czech with several powerful attacking strokes.
"He kind of had me in a stranglehold for a while there, so I really had to get myself pumped up and going," said the American.
"I played some of my best tennis in that third set. I felt started returning a lot better.
"He plays a really tricky game, kind of unpredictable. I can see where his style would be very effective on grass. He was tough to pass.
MASSIVE SERVE
"He was moving really quickly around the net. Even if you hit a good return, it felt like he was there. I think that was one of the things that surprised me."
World number four Roddick, Wimbledon runner-up last year, said he was playing by instinct.
"I am really not too smart so the less I think out there the better," he laughed.
Karlovic, at 6ft 10ins the tallest player in professional tennis, will be appearing in his first ATP Tour final after beating top seed Hewitt in the quarter-finals and Swede Johansson in the semis.
The Croat's massive serve proved the difference between the two players on an overcast day at Queen's Club.
A single break in the first set was sufficient for Karlovic to take it 6-4 and the pair were inseparable in the second.
Karlovic earned a match point at 6-4 in the tiebreak but let a Johansson pass go by and it landed on the baseline.
He fought off a set point with a forehand volley and earned another match point with a thumping second serve.
This time he converted when Johansson hit a forehand into the net.
Roddick is expecting a tough time on Sunday.
"I think this surface more than any other kind of masks his weaknesses a little bit, and he's able to kind of go for broke and roll through service games," the American said.
"If he wants to take the day off tomorrow...and go shoot hoops, I'll allow it," he smiled.
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