Roddick Brings Down Scud
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© Getty ImagesRoddick: "I felt like I played about as well
as I could."
Two-time defending champion Andy Roddick made an impressive start to his grass court season with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over former winner Mark Philippoussis to reach the third round of the Stella Artois Championships.
Roddick, the No. 2 seed and back-to-back winner at The Queen's Club in 2003-04, fired 10 aces, including one at 151 mph en route to his 57-minute win.
Obviously, Mark's a very accomplished grass court player," said Roddick. "I wasn't super-comfortable with the draw, but I felt like I played about as well as I could. That's all I could have kind of asked for in the first match."
In what was the first meeting on the ATP circuit between the two big hitters, it was the American who made the perfect start, breaking Philippoussis to love to lead 3-2 in the first set and again two games later before taking the first set in just 26 minutes.
The second set went with serve until the crucial seventh game, where Roddick's pressure eventually told as he broke to lead 4-3. Roddick, who broke the world serve speed record here at The Queen's Club last year with a 154 mph delivery, showed he is close to reaching that mark again with a 151 mph ace - his eighth of the match - in the following game.
Philippoussis saved one match point on his own serve at 3-5 with a volley that clipped the sideline, forcing Roddick to serve for the match. The American made no mistake, holding to love to extend his winning streak at the Stella Artois Championships to 11 matches and book his place in the third round against Karol Beck of the Slovak Republic.
Roddick didn't lose a point on his own serve in the second set and lost just seven points on his delivery throughout the match, facing no break points in the process.
"I felt like I lifted my percentages a lot in the second set and was putting a lot of first serves in," said Roddick. "That put the onus on him to try to figure something out."
For Philippoussis, playing in his first tournament since suffering a left ankle injury at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami back in March, there were still positives to take from the defeat.
"It's my first tournament back after a while since Miami, so obviously a couple of things I could have done a lot better," said the Australian. "But I think the most important thing for me is that I pulled up physically healthy, and my body feels good. So, you know, that's the most positive, the most important thing for myself."
Meanwhile, last year's Wimbledon semifinalist Mario Ancic, the No. 5 seed, overcame Jan Hernych in straight sets and will next face French wild card Richard Gasquet, who upset Britain's Jamie Delgado 6-4, 6-1.
Elsewhere, Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic advanced to the
third round with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Fernando Gonzalez,
while sixth seed Thomas Johansson overcame Gilles Muller
of Luxembourg 6-7, 6-4, 7-5.