KEY BISCAYNE: Andy Roddick beat Roger Federer for only the third time in their 24 meetings Monday, dominating with his serve to win 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-4 in the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Roddick broke serve only once but held every service game in the first and last sets. After falling behind 15-30 in the final game, he closed out the victory with an ace and two service winners.
On paper, it looked like a mismatch between former No. 1s, each a two-time champion in the event. The third-ranked Federer began the night 40-2 since the US Open, while Roddick was ranked 34th, the lowest he has been since 2001.
Roddick ended Federer’s streak of 77 consecutive wins against players outside the top 20.
“I feel like I lost against a former No. 1, not that I lost against a guy ranked 30 in the world,” Federer said.
Azarenka rallies to win
Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka lost 10 of the first 11 games, then rallied to remain unbeaten this year by overcoming Dominika Cibulkova 1-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 in the fourth round.
Azarenka won her 26th consecutive match, a streak that began at the start of this year. Her start is the best on the women’s tour since Martina Hingis went 37-0 to begin 1997.
Serena beats Stosur
Serena Williams matched a career high with 20 aces to beat Samantha Stosur 7-5, 6-3 and advance to the quarterfinals. Williams avenged a loss to Stosur when they last met in the US Open final in September.
Sharapova into quarters
Also reaching the quarterfinals was No. 2 Maria Sharapova, who overcame 11 double-faults to beat Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 7-6 (3). Sharapova won despite committing 52 unforced errors and losing her serve four times.
Djokivic advances
No. 1 Novak Djokovic advanced to the men’s fourth round by beating No. 27-seeded Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic is bidding for his third Key Biscayne title and second in a row.
Meanwhile, Indian tennis veterans Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi made it to the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open with their respective partners after clinching comfortable wins here.
While Bhupathi and compatriot Rohan Bopanna got the better of Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-3, Paes and his Czech teammate Radek Stepanek defeated the British pair Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins with a similar scoreline.
The sixth-seeded Indian combo was in complete command against the Spaniards as they dominated from the word go to overcome them in a battle that lasted an hour and 14 minutes.
Bhupathi and Bopanna, who had recently won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, dropped only five points on their first serves for victory.
They will take on third seeds Michael Llodra of France and Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic in the quarterfinals.
Seventh-seeded Paes and Stepanek also had an easy outing against the unseeded British duo as they took just an hour and 22 minutes to cruise past them.
The Indo-Czech pair won as many as 13 break points but could convert only four of them. But on their part, they also saved as many as seven breakpoints out of the eight that their opponents got.
Paes and Stepanek will now face Spaniards David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco. (PTI)