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Roddick, Sharapova advance in Australia
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-20 14:57
MELBOURNE, Australia - Andy Roddick had 17 aces in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over
French qualifier Julien Benneteau on Friday, hustling through the third round as
temperatures started rising at the Australian Open.
Andy Roddick of the
U.S. reacts during his match against Julien Benneteau of France at the
Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 20, 2006.
[Reuters] | The 23-year-old
American, seeded second, won 17 of the first 18 points against Benneteau,
hitting five aces in his first two service games and racing to a 5-0 lead.
"I'm just trying to be aggressive," Roddick said.
He clinched the first set in 19 minutes when Benneteau's backhand landed
long. When the ball came back from Roddick, Benneteau angrily belted it into the
crowd.
Benneteau held serve to open the second set but Roddick went on a five-game
run.
He won the set on another error by the Frenchman, who wore ice packs on his
neck in the breaks between games to cope with the heat.
The extreme heat policy was put in effect Friday afternoon when the
temperature exceeded 96 degrees. New matches on outside courts were suspended
for an hour under the so-called heat stress index guideline, which combines the
ambient air temperature and court surface temperature.
Roddick, who had 28 winners and only 16 unforced errors, said he didn't mind
the heat and wasn't in any particular hurry despite finishing in 1 hour, 22
minutes.
His next opponent is Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who beat Denis Gremelmayr
6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
Women's No. 1 Lindsay Davenport endured 2 hours, 19 minutes on Rod Laver
Arena while play was suspended elsewhere, holding off Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 4-6,
6-2.
Davenport struggled in the heat, hitting 42 unforced errors. She clinched it
on her second match point as thick storm clouds loomed over from the southwest,
cooling conditions off.
"It's tough. The courts are real sticky," Davenport said.
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