Fish becomes top-ranked US player
Source: Agencies |
April 1, 2011, Friday
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MARDY Fish replaced Andy Roddick as the top-ranked American after beating Spain's David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday to move into the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.
Fish will play world No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at Key Biscayne after the Serb beat South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-2 for his 24th successive win, a run stretching back to last year.
Fish, currently ranked 15th, will formally overtake his friend and world No. 8 Roddick when the ATP world rankings are updated next week.
Roddick, struggling with a bronchial infection, made a shock early exit in the defense of his Miami title in his first game, losing to Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas on Saturday.
"I don't think I will ever feel I am the top-ranked American, Andy has had a pretty good career and he has always been top dog in my generation," Fish said of his former high school teammate.
"I've never been in this position before. Obviously it's very humbling. This is a pretty big country and has a lot of people playing tennis. So I'll try to put it into perspective, and I Will."
Fish said his goal has nothing to do with bettering Roddick and is purely personal. "Top ten is something that I am aiming for and I will be working my butt off to get there," he said.
Fish had a surprisingly easy passage to the last four, with the normally solid Ferrer fading fast in the second set in the Florida heat and the Spaniard said after the match he had not felt well.
"I had stomach problems all the match. I went to the court, and when I ran to rallies I had a lot of pain in my stomach. In the second set, I couldn't run anymore," he said.
Djokovic was pumped up throughout his win over Anderson and he had to work hard against the big-serving South African, who produced four aces.
Nonetheless the Serb produced the big shots when it mattered most - breaking early in both sets.
Djokovic has won all 22 matches he has played this year and his last defeat was against Roger Federer at the ATP World Tour finals in London on November 27.
As Djokovic closed in on his win, he unveiled his version of the Petko Dance - a celebratory jig introduced by Andrea Petkovic, who plays Maria Sharapova in the semifinals. Petkovic and Djokovic were both born in Serbia.
In the women's quarterfinals, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat two-time champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium 6-3, 6-3. Clijsters, who has been nursing a right shoulder injury since she won the Australian Open in January, had eight double-faults and only held three times in nine service games.
Azarenka, the 2009 tournament champion, will next face Vera Zvonareva, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 7-5, 6-3.
Zvonareva, the No. 3 seed from Russia, overcame a set point with an ace in the first set against Radwanska, and won four consecutive games to take control of the second set. She improved to 4-0 in quarterfinals this year.
Fish will play world No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at Key Biscayne after the Serb beat South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-2 for his 24th successive win, a run stretching back to last year.
Fish, currently ranked 15th, will formally overtake his friend and world No. 8 Roddick when the ATP world rankings are updated next week.
Roddick, struggling with a bronchial infection, made a shock early exit in the defense of his Miami title in his first game, losing to Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas on Saturday.
"I don't think I will ever feel I am the top-ranked American, Andy has had a pretty good career and he has always been top dog in my generation," Fish said of his former high school teammate.
"I've never been in this position before. Obviously it's very humbling. This is a pretty big country and has a lot of people playing tennis. So I'll try to put it into perspective, and I Will."
Fish said his goal has nothing to do with bettering Roddick and is purely personal. "Top ten is something that I am aiming for and I will be working my butt off to get there," he said.
Fish had a surprisingly easy passage to the last four, with the normally solid Ferrer fading fast in the second set in the Florida heat and the Spaniard said after the match he had not felt well.
"I had stomach problems all the match. I went to the court, and when I ran to rallies I had a lot of pain in my stomach. In the second set, I couldn't run anymore," he said.
Djokovic was pumped up throughout his win over Anderson and he had to work hard against the big-serving South African, who produced four aces.
Nonetheless the Serb produced the big shots when it mattered most - breaking early in both sets.
Djokovic has won all 22 matches he has played this year and his last defeat was against Roger Federer at the ATP World Tour finals in London on November 27.
As Djokovic closed in on his win, he unveiled his version of the Petko Dance - a celebratory jig introduced by Andrea Petkovic, who plays Maria Sharapova in the semifinals. Petkovic and Djokovic were both born in Serbia.
In the women's quarterfinals, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat two-time champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium 6-3, 6-3. Clijsters, who has been nursing a right shoulder injury since she won the Australian Open in January, had eight double-faults and only held three times in nine service games.
Azarenka, the 2009 tournament champion, will next face Vera Zvonareva, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 7-5, 6-3.
Zvonareva, the No. 3 seed from Russia, overcame a set point with an ace in the first set against Radwanska, and won four consecutive games to take control of the second set. She improved to 4-0 in quarterfinals this year.
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