Facing a big deficit, staring at what would have been a big upset, Roddick suddenly changed everything against a younger, less-experienced, less-accomplished version of himself at the U.S. Open.
Roddick, the 2003 champion, used a seven-game run after trailing by a set and a break to come back and beat unseeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 at the hard-court Grand Slam tournament in a second-round match that began Friday night and finished after 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
Like Roddick, Gulbis relies on a powerful serve and stinging forehand, two key strokes that allowed the 40th-ranked kid who never has won a tournament title — much less a major championship — appear on the verge of a breakthrough victory.
Also like Roddick, Gulbis is prone to mental lapses. As much talent as Gulbis has — he did, after all, reach the fourth round at last year’s U.S. Open and the quarterfinals at this year’s French Open — he has yet to show any consistency. That is why he entered this match with a 32-34 career record.
There’s one other, coincidental, thing they have in common: Both players celebrated birthdays Saturday, Roddick turning 26, Gulbis
20. In truth, of course, only Roddick was able to celebrate fully.
“He was definitely outplaying me for the first two sets. I felt like a little kid out here playing against him,” Roddick said. “And then the clock struck 12, and I started playing, well, as a 26-year-old.”
As Roddick struck the ball better and better, the frequency of Gulbis’ winners dipped while the frequency of his errors rose substantially.
Roddick gathered himself after taking out his anger on his racket when two groundstroke errors allowed Gulbis to break for a 4-3 lead in the second set. Soon after it was 5-3 for Gulbis, who then got to serve for a two-set lead at 5-4.
At 30-all, with Gulbis having gone 14-for-15 on points at the net until then, Roddick smacked a forehand passing shot on the run to earn a break point. The American might have had reason to doubt his chances there, given that he was 0-for-4 on break points so far. But Roddick finally came through when Gulbis sailed a forehand long.
“I was disappointed in the second set. I think I should have finished it,” Gulbis said. “I wouldn’t have won the match already. But it would have been a big step.”
Instead, Roddick took seven straight games to take control.
Gulbis dictated play throughout and ended up with far more winners, 79 to 42, and unforced errors, 60 to 21. But the eighth-seeded Roddick never faced a break point in the third or fourth set.
“Tonight was probably one of those ones I won on effort,” Roddick said.
He’s had a tough season, having lost in the third round of the Australian Open, pulled out of the French Open because of a right shoulder injury, then bowed out at Wimbledon in the second round.
Roddick bypassed the Beijing Olympics, hoping to be better prepared for the U.S. Open by staying on this side of the world. His U.S. Open nearly ended quite early, but he credited the partisan crowd with helping.
“You guys kept me in there when I was losing my head,” Roddick told the Arthur Ashe Stadium fans at match’s end. “If this crowd comes with me the whole way, who knows?”
ALSO ON THIS STORY Discuss: Sound off on tennis message boards
Reds try to stop losing, hold players-only meeting
6th-seeded Roddick stunned at Wimbledon
RESTED ELS SEEKS TO LOCH OUT RIVALS
