Roddick powers US to
semifinals
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina. — Andy
Roddick helped the US to a 4-1 win over France in their Davis
Cup quarterfinal with an exceptional 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory
over Paul-Henri Mathieu on Sunday.
After Roddick had earned the winning point,
James Blake completed proceedings by defeating Richard Gasquet
6-7, 6-4, 6-4.
With the US leading 2-1 overnight, Roddick
was eager to wrap up the tie with a match to spare and easily
fulfilled his mission.
He has now clinched a Davis Cup tie for the
US on all 10 occasions he has been called to do so, making him
the most successful American put in that position.
"The thing is that you have to be up to
clinch and my teammates always put me in a good position,"
Roddick said courtside about being able to close out the tie
for the champions.
The US will next travel to Spain for the
semifinal in September.
While the US beat Spain in last year’s
quarterfinal at Winston-Salem, they were beaten the last time
they played in Spain in the 2004 final.
"We’re going to have to get a little dirty
over there," Roddick said of playing on clay in Spain.
World No. 6 Roddick, who never offered
Mathieu a break point opportunity, is now on a nine match
winning streak in Davis Cup action.
Roddick fired two aces to close out the
match and lost only 13 points on serve in the entire contest.
"I wasn’t giving him anything," Roddick said. "The points
he was winning he was having to step up and crank two or three
balls to the corners and really execute his shots.
