Roddick Makes Open Quarters

NEW YORK (AP) _ Andy Roddick reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals thanks to another abbreviated work day. <br/><br/>Roddick, the 2003 champion and 2006 runner-up, advanced Monday when No. 9 Tomas Berdych

Monday, September 3rd 2007, 1:00 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Andy Roddick reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals thanks to another abbreviated work day.

Roddick, the 2003 champion and 2006 runner-up, advanced Monday when No. 9 Tomas Berdych stopped playing in the second set because he had trouble breathing and felt sluggish.

``I haven't been tested much this tournament so far,'' said the fifth-seeded Roddick, who could face No. 1 Roger Federer next.

Roddick was leading 7-6 (6), 2-0 in the fourth round when Berdych quit, making him 0-9 against top-10 opponents at Grand Slam tournaments. Roddick got through the second round when Jose Acasuso stopped because of a bad knee while trailing two sets to one.

``The body was so slow. It wasn't any, like, straight one problem or one pain or something,'' Berdych said. ``Just, like, generally didn't feel well.''

Almost from the get-go, Roddick knew Berdych was ailing.

``I heard him say something to the umpire early on in the first,'' Roddick said. ``Then, of course, I'm trying to eavesdrop on his whole conversation he's having with the trainer.''

Roddick went directly from Arthur Ashe Stadium to the practice court and hit for nearly an hour.

``I know that this is a lot better than being dead tired. Given the two options, I'll take this one,'' Roddick said.

At a changeover early in the match, Berdych asked to see a trainer and indicated he was having a hard time taking deep breaths. He then went out and broke Roddick twice to take a 5-3 lead and serve for the set. But Roddick broke back at love, then saved a set point in the tiebreaker.

Berdych saw a doctor after leaving the court, then headed for blood tests to try to figure out exactly what was wrong.

Later in the day, No. 6 James Blake was playing No. 10 Tommy Haas, and Federer was to meet Feliciano Lopez at night.

``No offense to Lopez, but I'm kind of already preparing for Roger,'' Roddick said, several hours before that match began.

Earlier Monday, 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova got off her stomach and closed the match, beating Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.

Kuznetsova needed five match points, finishing it off with a strong, cross-court forehand that Azarenka chased into the corner, losing her hat on the way.

Earlier in the second set, No. 4 Kuznetsova was the one who tried without success to track down a shot. In the sixth game, she charged toward the net and skidded, doing the splits and winding up sprawled on the court.

The Russian got up easily and went on to eliminate the 18-year-old from Belarus. Kuznetsova next plays another unseeded opponent, Agnes Szavay of Hungary.

``She's tough,'' said Kuznetsova, who won a warmup tournament in New Haven, Conn., the weekend before the U.S. Open when Szavay retired during the final with a back injury.

Szavay moved on by defeating Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine 6-4, 7-6 (1). Ranked No. 31, Szavay is playing in her first U.S Open _ her two other previous Grand Slam appearances ended in second-round losses at Wimbledon and the French Open this year.

No. 18 Shahar Peer became the first Israeli woman to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals by beating No. 30 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 6-1. Radwanska knocked off defending champion Maria Sharapova in the third round but couldn't keep up with Peer, who built a 20-4 advantage in winners.