Roddick knee injury to keep him from London finals field

London, Nov 18 (DPA) Andy Roddick withdrew from the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals due to a knee injury he suffered six weeks ago. The US player is being replaced in the eight-man draw by Swede Robin Soderling.

Roddick limped out of the Shanghai Masters with the injury last month. He had earned a berth at the season finale for a seventh straight year - the second-longest active streak after number one Roger Federer's eight consecutive invitations.

Three-time Wimbledon finalist Roddick played the semi-finals in 2003 and 2004 in Houston and 2007 at Shanghai.

Soderling, who beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, was first alternate for the tournament, which begins Sunday at The O2 arena in London. Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga now becomes first alternate.

Soderling is the first Swede to play the season wrap-up since Thomas Johansson in 2002.

Roddick resumed light practice this week but said Tuesday he would not be fully fit for the tournament.

'I'm really disappointed to miss the World Tour Finals,' Roddick said. 'I love playing in London, and I've heard so many good things about the venue. However, I have not fully recovered from my knee injury, and I won't be able to compete. One of my goals in 2010 will be to qualify for this event again.'

The line-up features Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Juan Del Potro, Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco and Soderling.

The draw will be made Wednesday, with the eight players drawn to play a minimum of three round-robin matches to determine which four players advance to the knockout semi-finals Saturday.

Indo Asian News Service

Murray, Del Potro edge into US Open third round

New York, Sep 5 (DPA) Andy Murray and Juan Del Potro fuelled ambitions as dangerous title contenders Friday at the US Open as both powered comfortably into the third round.

Second seed Murray, who lost the 2008 final to Roger Federer, the heavy favourite to lift a sixth straight title in New York, staked his claim on the third round with a defeat of Chile's Paul Capdeville 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Argentine number six Del Potro dispatched Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-3, firing 13 aces and 36 winners to advance to his fifth victory without a defeat against the number 38.

The South American has fond memories of New York, where he reached a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time 12 months ago.

'This is my favourite Grand Slam. I love to play here. I've started to play better on hard court this season. When you keep winning, maybe it's tough physically and mentally. But now I'm in good shape.'

Murray won his 14th match at Flushing Meadows against four defeats as he prevailed over Capdeville, 87th on the ATP.

The Scot's five 2009 titles have him tied with Rafael Nadal for the most on tour this year. Having been the first player to win 50 matches this season, he was also in joint first place with Novak Djokovic for most match wins coming into the US Open with 53.

Slimmed-down seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga cut short the wrist injury comeback of Jarkko Nieminen as he defeated the Finn 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

The 2008 Australian open finalist will next face fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who beat Serb Viktor Troicki 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

'It was a quick match,' said Tsonga, who broke once in each set to get past Nieminen as the Finn played only his third match after missing four months due to his wrist operation. 'I played great. I'm happy to go through this far.'

Tsonga confessed that he has dropped a few kilograms in recent months as he works on fitness, which showed as he displayed his powerful game against Nieminen in one and three-quarter hours.

Croatian 16th seed Marin Cilic staged a career-fist comeback from two sets to love down, overhauling US player Jesse Levine 4-6, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-0.

2003 New York finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero performed a similar feat as he came back to oust German Philipp Petzschner 1-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

Second-seeded women's holder Serena Williams had to win a lengthy 11th game of the second set lasting seven deuces to overcome Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 7-5.

The pair have a history from the French Open, when Williams accused the Spaniard of cheating during their third-round match. But no boilovers occurred in New York.

'You can never underestimate anyone. Some people, some days they have great days,' said Williams. 'I was just happy to keep getting through my match.

'I just go and look at every opponent as the best player in the world. I just kept fighting, and every time I had a break point I felt like I had a chance to win one of them.'

Russian Vera Zvonareva beat compatriot Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-4 while veteran Italian Francesca Schiavone upset eighth seed Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Tenth seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy crushed Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 6-1, while Daniela Hantuchova ended the upset run of Vania King 6-2, 6-2 after the Us player had beaten 15th seed Samantha Stosur in the previous round.

DPA

Roddick triumphs at Memphis

TRIUMPHANT: Andy Roddick avenged a loss to Radek Stepanek as he regained the RMK Championship in Memphis on Sunday.

MEMPHIS: American top seed Andy Roddick claimed his first title of the season and a measure of revenge with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Czech Radek Stepanek in the final of the Memphis tennis championships on Sunday.

Roddick, who lost to Stepanek in the semifinals of the San Jose Open last week, ended his opponent’s bid for back-to-back titles when he converted on his second match point to clinch a 27th career title.

“A week ago (in San Jose) I felt like I was in control of the match but he played better when it counted on the big points,” Roddick told reporters.

“I played better today on the big points. Right now I’m looking at it as a process and it’s great to win a title.”

Great start

The champion in 2002 and runner-up in 2003 and 2007, Roddick got off to a bright start with an early break to race 3-0 ahead on his way to securing the opening set, the first taken from Stepanek all week.

In the second set, both players held serve throughout, Roddick saving two break points at 15-40 in the ninth game and one more break point in the 11th game with one of his eight aces.

Leading 6-5 and Stepanek serving to stay in the match, Roddick set up a triple match point and while the fifth seed was able to stave off the first, the 26-year-old American sealed victory on his next attempt.

Ninth title

At Buenos Aires, Spain’s Tommy Robredo won his second successive tournament when he beat Argentina’s Juan Monaco 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5) in the final of the Copa Telmex.

The third seed followed up last week’s win in Costa da Sauipe, Brazil, by clinching his ninth ATP title.

“I am very happy for having won back-to-back titles for the first time in my career,” said the World No. 17. “I trained hard to be able to play well in consecutive weeks.”

Robredo earned the opening set’s only service break in the 11th game, but lost momentum following a 90-minute rain break after the first game of the second set.

Unseeded Monaco, who beat top seed David Nalbandian on Saturday, took advantage to break serve three times in a row and level the match.

Both players broke serve twice in the third set before Robredo squandered two break points at 5-5.

The set went to a tie-break, which the Spaniard clinched with his fourth match point.

The results:

At Memphis (ATP RMK Championship): Final: Andy Roddick bt Radek Stepanek 7-5, 7-5.

At Buenos Aires (ATP Copa Telmex): Final: Tommy Robredo bt Juan Monaco 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5)

At Bogota (WTA Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas): Final: Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez bt Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-2. — Agencies Hindu