Roddick advances at clay court tennis
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-04-21 13:57

Top-seeded Andy Roddick defeated unseeded Robby Ginepri 7-6 (6), 6-4 Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships.

Top seeded Andy Roddick returns a shot to Robby Ginepri in the second round of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Wednesday, April 20, 2005. [AP]

Roddick extended his record to 5-0 over Ginepri, but this match wasn't a runaway as neither player lost his serve en route to the first set tiebreaker.

All of Roddick's victories over Ginepri have been close; four of their last six sets have been decided by tiebreakers.

"He keeps coming up with new ways to try to beat me, and I keep trying to figure out ways to hold him off," Roddick said. "I got by tonight with a couple of points. I'm scratching and clawing and trying to keep it that way."

Roddick had a 6-3 lead in the tiebreaker before Ginepri tied it at 6-all and then hit consecutive errors, giving Roddick the first set.

Roddick broke Ginepri in the first and fifth games of the second set, but still had to battle to the end.

After taking a 4-1 lead in the second set, Ginepri broke Roddick. Roddick trailed 0-40 and after serving an ace, hit a forehand behind the baseline to lose his serve for the only time in the match.

Ginepri escaped two match points in the ninth game to hold serve, but Roddick then served for the match and sealed the outcome with an overhead on the third match point.

"It's his serve, he seems to find a way to win," Ginepri said. "The last few times we've played, he wins the tiebreakers. It seems to take the momentum away from me. You've got to keep fighting. One of these days it will come."

In other second-round matches, seventh-seeded Jurgen Melzer outlasted Noam Okun 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Melzer overcame five break points in the first game of the third set and broke Okun in the 12th game, on the third match point.

Defending champion and third-seeded Tommy Haas beat Jeff Morrison 7-6 (4), 6-2.

Morrison took a 3-2 lead in the tiebreaker with a between-the-legs shot that Haas sent beyond the baseline. Haas then closed out the tiebreaker and broke Morrison in the third and fifth games of the second set.

Morrison escaped a match point in the sixth game, but Haas ended it on the third match point with an ace.

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