Roddick, Safin, Haas advance to Washington quarter-finals

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US top seed Andy Roddick fired 23 aces to outlast Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 and reach the ATP Washington Classic quarter-finals Thursday along with fellow seeds Tommy Haas and Marat Safin.

Roddick lost the last five games of the second set, his serve broken twice, and struggled through the third, rescuing a break point in the fifth game and two in the ninth, the second when Stepanek sent a backhand wide.

"I just kind of hung around," Roddick said. "I decided to put the ball in the court and if he was going to be aggressive and get it, too good. I tried to draw back in the third set, make him create something."

Stepanek, who fired 20 aces, was two points from forcing a tie-breaker in the final game but sent a forehand long to hand...