Overwhelmed by Robin Haase in the first set, Andy Roddick retaliated by playing over Haase’s head in the second.
Swooping toward the net midway through the second set, Roddick rifled a forehand at Haase’s head with the force of a man intent on branding the ball right between the eyes. The wiry Dutchman deftly ducked as the blurring ball sailed over his head and splattered off the back wall.
Roddick raised his hand in the traditional “sorry” signal, while Haase raised an eyebrow after avoiding a buzz cut. That purpose pitch was a declaration of desire, as Roddick ratcheted up the intensity level and began playing hard ball.
Relying on his serve and aggression to ride out Haase’s shotmaking storm, Roddick ripped 15 of his 32 aces in the second set, rallying for a 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 win to reach the fourth round of the Aussie Open for the eighth time in 10 career appearances.
“My serve kept me in it. No doubt he was playing a lot better than me the first two sets (but) the moment got to him and he double-faulted twice in the breaker,” Roddick told Tennis Channel’s Justin Gimelstob immediately after the match. “A good day at the office is when you get to play again.”
The eighth-seeded American will likely face a formidable fourth-round challenge in the form of Stan Wawrinka, who is 2-1 lifetime against Roddick (he retired in both losses), or acrobatic 12th-seeded Gael Monfils, who owns a 5-3 edge, including a gripping 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (6) win in the Tokyo quarters last fall.
Playing his first career third-round match at a major, Haase hammered his backhand down the line, swung freely and outplayed Roddick in the opening set. The 23-year-old appeared to turn his ankle early on, but continued his strong serving in the second. Haase won 21 of 23 points on his first serve to keep pace with Roddick’s torrid serving; neither man managed a break point in the set.
The 62nd-ranked Haase was the hunter in the first set but was haunted by nerves in the second-set tiebreaker. He struck two of his five double faults during the critical juncture, the second snaking wide of the center stripe to hand Roddick a 4-2 lead. Switching sides, Haase served into the sun when he tried to slice a serve wide, but Roddick ripped a forehand return down the line for a 5-2 lead. That shot carried repercussions as a frustrated Haase over-hit a wild forehand wide to give Roddick four set points. He needed only one, snapping an ace out wide to seize the set and level the match.
The four-time Melbourne semifinalist was swinging with more authority in the third set and was more aggressive with his feet as well. Roddick attacked behind a slice backhand and coaxed a forehand error to break for a 2-1 lead. That break seemed to crack Haase's confidence, as he spent the ensuing changeover hanging his head hidden beneath his towel.
Roddick, who revealed that his father contacted him and urged him to play with more aggression, can light his spark of intensity with a searing serve, a sparring session with the chair umpire or even a smashed racquet. Today, a resourceful Roddick relied on his serve and competitiveness to deny Haase, and knows he'll need that type of intensity from the first ball against Wawrinka or Monfils.
“I need to maintain that aggression (in the next one),” said Roddick, whose saturated shirt and soaked cap were physical reminders of his efforts on a hot Friday afternoon.
—Richard Pagliaro