Stepanek squashes all-American semis

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:18

After top-seeded Andy Roddick, third seed James Blake and fifth-seeded Mardy Fish earned their semi-final spots on Friday, the fourth-seeded Stepanek squashed American qualifier Todd Widom’s hopes of joining the final four with a 5-7 6-0 6-0 win.

For the first set, at least, it appeared as if Widom’s unlikely road would continue. But Stepanek stepped it up and hit his 270th-ranked foe with a double-bagel, sailing through the last two sets.

In the semis, Stepanek will face Roddick who needed nine minutes more to oust Germany’s Tommy Haas 7-5 6-4.

Roddick pounded eight aces and won 79% of his first-serve points to gain an edge. He did not face a break point in the match while taking advantage of two of his eight chances to break through against Haas.

“I’m pretty happy with everything,” Roddick said. “Everything just felt a bit cleaner out there. That’s the best a match point feels, when you break someone to win.”

Earlier, the fifth-seeded Fish upset second seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-4 6-3 in convincing fashion.

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