Roddick, Safin and Haas Prosper

WASHINGTON, 4 August 2007 — US top seed Andy Roddick fired 23 aces to outlast Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 and reach the ATP Washington Classic quarterfinals Thursday along with fellow seeds Tommy Haas and Marat Safin.

Roddick lost the last five games of the second set, his serve broken twice, and struggled through the third, rescuing a break point in the fifth game and two in the ninth, the second when Stepanek sent a backhand wide.

“I just kind of hung around,” Roddick said. “I decided to put the ball in the court and if he was going to be aggressive and get it, too good. I tried to draw back in the third set, make him create something.” Stepanek, who fired 20 aces, was two points from forcing a tie-breaker in the final game but sent a forehand long to hand Roddick a match point and netted a forehand to fall after one hour and 50 minutes.

“He served pretty well,” Roddick said. “He got through his service games without me getting to him. You just hang around long enough and something else might happen.” German second seed Haas continued his comeback, defeating American Michael Russell 6-3, 6-4. He withdrew from Wimbledon a month ago with a torn stomach muscle before a round of 16 match against Swiss world number one Roger Federer.

Next for Haas is 22-year-old US novice John Isner, who played only one ATP match before Monday. The tall Cinderella man fired 31 aces to defeat countryman Wayne Odesnik 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2).

Russian third seed Safin reached his fourth quarterfinal of the year, all on hardcourts, by ousting 104th-ranked Dutchman Robin Haase 7-5, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5 after two hours and 35 minutes in a match that ended 47 minutes after midnight.

Safin faces Frenchman Gael Monfils on Friday. Confident Monfils, ranked 54th, beat Germany’s Michael Berrer 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3.

“Quarter-final for me is nothing. I expect to win this tournament,” said Monfils, whose only ATP title came on Sopot clay in 2005. “(Safin is) nothing. I played him last year in Cincinnati and I beat him. It’s just a match.” World number five Roddick, who won here in 2001 and 2005, advanced to his 10th quarter-final of the year. On Friday he faces South Korean fifth seed Lee, who rallied to eliminate France’s Julien Benneteau 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

“He times his winners,” Roddick said of Lee. “You’ve got to try to make him uncomfortable, break his rhythm a little because he’s a rhythm player.” Roddick, who lost an Indianapolis semi-final last week, seeks his second title of the year after winning at Queen’s in June. He improved to 3-0 lifetime over Stepanek, who won his second ATP title two weeks ago in Los Angeles.

Haas, who only resumed full workouts Monday, was pleased with his progress.

“So far, so good,” said Haas. “To reach quarter-finals is good, especially with the injury. I’m happy so far.” Isner, who in May led the University of Georgia to a US college team title, ousted Britain’s Tim Henman and German eighth seed Benjamin Becker in earlier third-set tiebreakers at the 600,000-dollar US Open tuneup event.

“It’s still a dream. To win three matches 7-6 in the third at a tournament like this is amazing,” Isner said. “I know my serve can take me a long way. Hopefully it can carry me against Haas. He’s a great player.” Ninth-ranked Haas, one victory shy of 400 in his ATP career, seeks his 12th title and second of 2007, having won February’s Memphis final over Roddick. Isner, who is 6-foot-9, has yet to win a first set in four career ATP matches.

Sharapova Shrugs Off Shoulder Injury to Lead Russian Charge

In Carlsbad, California, Maria Sharapova put aside worries over an aching shoulder on Thursday to spark a Russian charge into the quarterfinals of the San Diego Classic.

Russians claimed five of the eight spots in Friday’s quarterfinals of the concluding edition of this event, which will fall victim to a WTA calendar shakeup for 2008.

The top seed and defending champion swept the first nine games in a 6-0, 6-3 win over French 13th seed Tatiana Golovin.

“It was not as easy as it looked,” said the two-time grand slam winner. “About half of those first games went to deuce. I gave back two breaks in the second set and was lucky to get the win in straight sets.” Sharapova is dealing with a long-running shoulder problem which will not get worse and will slowly heal, doctors tell her.

Unseeded Maria Kirilenko followed the winning example, defeating ailing second seed Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

Jankovic, who qualified along with Justine Henin into the year- end WTA Championships field this week, said she was suffering from a cold during the 2hr 44min defeat.

The world number three Serb had a dozen break point chances against Kirilenko, with the Russian saving nine of them.

“Maria really played well, it was one of her best matches,” said Jankovic. “I was struggling the whole time. I didn’t do the right things and she took her opportunities.

“It’s difficult when you’re not feeling so well. I tried, but it was just not good enough.

“This was my first match after my holiday. I still need to get back to work on my physical training and be ready for more matches.” The pair of Russian winners were joined in the last eight by compatriots Anna Chakvetadze, Nadia Petrova and Elena Dementieva.

Number three Chakvetadze won her 11th straight match, beating Ai Sugiyama 6-4, 6-4 while fourth seed Petrova eliminated Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik 6-3, 7-6 (12/10).

Dementieva, the ninth seed, dealt fifth-seeded Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli a 6-4, 7-5 loss. Bartoli said she is not overly concerned over her post-Wimbledon swoon which has left her 1-2 after two weeks on hardcourt almost a month after her surprise run at the All England club, where she lost to Venus Williams.

“My level was pretty good, but it was a hard match and I didn’t play the right tactics. I had chances to close out the second set and get back into it, but I didn’t take them.” Dementieva next plays Kirilenko, while Chakvetadze will face Wimbledon champion Williams. The 10th-seeded American advanced with ease, dismissing sixth-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova 6-0, 6-3.