Tennis: Roddick aims his fury at unfortunate Russian

LONDON - After his tetchy two-day victory in the second round, Andy Roddick aimed his fury at unfortunate Russian Igor Andreev to reach the last 16.

Second seed Roddick cranked up his grass-burning serve to devastating effect, pounding past Andreev 6-2 6-2 7-6 in one hour 54 minutes.

"I'm still alive. That's the goal," said the 22-year-old, who warmed up for Wimbledon by claiming a third successive Stella Artois title.

"I think I've won, you know, a couple of matches in a row now dating back to Queen's, and I feel pretty good on the grass. I feel good going into the second week."

The American was far happier than after his five-set victory over Daniele Bracciali in the previous round, a bad-tempered affair in which Roddick was accused of swearing at the Italian.

Following that victory Roddick also had a lively exchange of views with a reporter who quizzed him on his decision to walk off for bad light earlier after surrendering the third set.

"That's in the past," said Roddick. "I was probably a lot more emotional out there than I would be normally in the second round of a grand slam. Had I had to go home yesterday, I wouldn't be very happy."

On a gloomy Court One on Saturday Roddick, last year's runner-up, concentrated on what he does best.

Hitting the target with nearly 90 per cent of his first serves Roddick offered up only three points on his delivery in the first set.

The bombardment continued in the second set and it was not until the third that Andreev, who needed treatment for a stomach injury, came to his senses.

Twice the Russian treatening to extend the contest. On both occasions Roddick simply flicked the power switch.

He rescued two break points at 3-3, one of them with a whistling ace and then produced some aggressive tennis to stave off a mini-crisis at 15-40 two games later.

The 42nd-ranked Andreev hung on grimly to force a tiebreak, but Roddick held firm and clinched victory when the Russian pulled a forehand into the tramlines.

"That's as well as I've hit the ball so far this tournament," added Roddick, who faces Argentine claycourt specialist Guillermo Coria in the fourth round.

Coria, the 15th seed, came back from two sets down to beat Austria's Jurgen Melzer 3-6 3-6 6-2 6-2 6-4 -- his second successive five-set victory.

- REUTERS