Roddick stretches long goodbye; Federer, Ivanovic in quarters

NEW YORK: Winning a second consecutive match since announcing the US Open will be the last tournament of his career, 2003 champion Andy Roddick postponed his retirement a little longer by getting past 59th-ranked Fabio Fognini of Italy 7-5, 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-4 in the third round Sunday.
Sixth seed Tomas Berdych advanced to his first US Open quarterfinal by defeating 11th-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-1 yesterday.
The 26-year-old Czech advanced to a last-eight meeting with World No. 1 Roger Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam champion seeking his sixth US Open crown who advanced by walkover when American Mardy Fish withdrew for health issues.
More than four years after her French Open title, Ana Ivanovic is finally back in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
The 12th-seeded Serb beat Tsvetana Pironkova 6-0, 6-4 yesterday in the fourth round of the US Open. Ranked No. 1 in the world in 2008, Ivanovic has struggled with injuries and her confidence since.
What comes next for Roddick could really be memorable. In the fourth round today, the last American man to win a Grand Slam title will face 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (9) in an all-Argentine match that featured one particularly noteworthy point. In the tiebreaker, Mayer smacked a backhand that somehow ricocheted off the top of a net post and landed in the court — but Del Potro was unfazed, got the ball back and wound up winning the point.
“I’m going to have to serve well, kind of try to rush him a little bit,” Roddick said about del Potro. “When he gets into a groove and has time, he’ll put a hurt on the ball.” Looking ahead himself, del Potro wasn’t about to get too sentimental about Roddick’s impending departure from tennis.
“I know this is special, this day, for him, but I’m doing my job,” said the seventh-seeded del Potro, whose major trophy is the only of the past 30 that wasn’t won by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
“The crowd loves Andy here,” Del Potro said, “and they have respect (for) me.” Djokovic, the defending champion, beat No. 31 Julien Benneteau in straight sets and will meet No. 18 Stanislas Wawrinka for a quarterfinal berth. Also advancing: No. 4 David Ferrer, who got past two-time major champion Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 (9), 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 and now meets No. 13 Richard Gasquet, who eliminated two-time NCAA champion Steve Johnson 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-3; and No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic, who will face the winner of Sunday night’s match between No. 9 John Isner of the United States and No. 19 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.
In women’s action, Maria Sharapova got back to the US Open quarterfinals for the first time since winning the 2006 title, taking control of a back-and-forth match after a 75-minute rain delay and beating No. 19 Nadia Petrova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday night.
Sharapova will play No. 11 Marion Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon runner-up, who came back to defeat 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 1-6, 6-2, 6-0.
Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka beat 73rd-ranked Anna Tatishvili 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time. Azarenka has dropped only 10 games through four matches heading into a showdown against defending champion Sam Stosur, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over 18-year-old Laura Robson of Britain, whose breakthrough run included wins against past major champions Kim Clijsters and Li Na.
Robson beat Clijsters in the second round Wednesday, sending the 29-year-old Belgian into retirement. It was the next day, Roddick’s 30th birthday, that he surprisingly let the world know he had decided to walk away from the sport whenever this visit to Flushing Meadows ends.