Tennis roundup
Aching Roddick falls in Paris Masters PARIS (AP) – His back and shoulder aching, Andy Roddick lost in the Paris Masters semifinals Saturday and now is unsure if he will be ready for the season-ending Masters Cup.
Roddick, seeded first, fell 6-3, 7-5 to Ivan Ljubicic, who will play Tomas Berdych in Sunday’s final. Berdych defeated eighth-seeded Radek Stepanek 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the other semifinal.
Roddick twice needed long massages on his lower back and left shoulder and was unable to serve with his customary brilliance. He lost his opening service game and also dropped serve in the 11th game of the second set.
“I woke up this morning and felt OK,” Roddick said. “But as soon as I started moving it really stiffened up. After a couple of games I didn’t feel so good about my chances.”
It was the American’s second straight defeat to Ljubicic following a five-set Davis Cup match against Croatia in March.
“It’s the best performance of my life,” Ljubicic said. “I never felt in any trouble, and I felt I had three or four chances to break him in the second set. I was really confident and relaxed on all my shots.”
Roddick has qualified for the eight-player Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, on Nov. 13-20. But he’s uncertain if he will be fit.
“I’m not as optimistic as I was two days ago, that’s for sure,” he said. “We’re going to have it evaluated here and again when I get home. If I feel like I can go, then I’ll go. If not, then I won’t.”
Ljubicic, seeded sixth, did not face a single break point. He served out the match and won with a crisp crosscourt shot that left Roddick flat-footed. Ljubicic had 15 aces to Roddick’s 10 and outscored the American 38-14 in winners.
Roddick likened Ljubicic’s serve to that of another Croat, Goran Ivanisevic. Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon champion, was once regarded as one of the best servers in tennis.
“You can’t really get a good read on it,” Roddick said. “It’s not very predictable. It’s similar to Goran’s in the way he can hit different serves from different tosses.”
Before Friday’s quarterfinal against David Ferrer, Roddick had not been broken since a Davis Cup match on Sept. 25. He lost serve three times to Ferrer.
Serving at 5-5 in the second set, Roddick was broken when Ljubicic sent a forehand winner down the line. Roddick had saved two break points at the start of that set.
Ljubicic reached his eighth final and is aiming for his third title this year. Roddick has won five ATP titles this season and 20 overall.
“He’s playing very well right now,” Roddick said. “Over the last month, he’s probably the best player on the tour. He serves well and he’s developed other parts of his game.”
In an all-Czech semifinal, Berdych needed only 20 minutes to win the first set. He broke Stepanek, last year’s runner-up, four times in the match.
Berdych plays his second final of the season after losing to Rafael Nadal in July in Bastad, Sweden. He has one ATP career title. Ljubicic is 2-0 against Berdych.
“It’s my first time in the final of a big tournament,” Berdych said. “It’s important to play my own tennis against Ivan. I don’t know if there any special tactics to beat him.”
Advanta Championships
VILLANOVA, Pa. – A week off and a friendly court helped Amelie Mauresmo get back on the winning track.
Mauresmo advanced to the finals of the Advanta Championships by defeating Nicole Vaidisova 7-5, 7-5, ending the teenager’s 18-match winning streak.
Mauresmo, the two-time defending champion, will meet Elena Dementieva on Sunday. Dementieva reached the finals when Nadia Petrova withdrew from their semifinal match because of a foot injury.
Mauresmo came into the 21-year tournament off consecutive opening-round losses at Moscow and Zurich. She took time off after losing to Katarina Srebotnik in the Zurich Open on Oct. 20 and entered the Advanta, which wasn’t originally on her schedule.
“I couldn’t keep going at the pace I was going,” Mauresmo said. “I had some rest and it helped. Coming in here, it was on my mind to get the title again.”
Mauresmo, ranked fourth, overcame Vaidisova’s booming serves and fierce groundstrokes, breaking serve in the decisive game of each set.
The 16-year-old Vaidisova of the Czech Republic was seeking her fourth straight championship. She won titles at the Thailand, Korea and Japan Opens, becoming the only player to win three consecutive weeks on the WTA Tour this season.
“It was difficult for both of us to break, but I was able to take advantage of the opportunity,” Mauresmo said.
A frustrated Vaidisova scolded herself a few times during the first set, and once angrily hit a ball into the net after losing a point.
One point away from losing the first set, Vaidisova rallied twice only to give it away after she double faulted.
“I’m always a lot into the matches,” Vaidisova said. “She’s a top player. She stepped up her game. It’s a learning process and you get experience every match. I’m relieved. It was my final tournament of the season and I’m tired.”
Mauresmo’s path to the final was helped by the withdrawals of Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova earlier in the week, leaving the Frenchwoman the highest-seeded player left.
Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Patty Schnyder withdrew last weekend because of injuries.
Petrova defeated Martina Sucha 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the quarterfinals, but a bruised right heel forced her out of the tournament.
“I am very disappointed I can’t play,” Petrova said. “I was looking forward to my semifinal match.”
Petrova is scheduled to join Dementieva, Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters, defending champion Maria Sharapova, Mary Pierce and Patty Schnyder at the WTA Tour Championships beginning Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The tournament again is in its final year at Villanova. It wasn’t held in 2001 or ’02 because the WTA championship, which is played the week after the Advanta, was moved from New York to Munich, making it logistically impossible. Next year, the tour championship moves to Madrid.