Roddick reaches Open quarterfinals

NEW YORK – Andy Roddick reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals thanks to another abbreviated work day.\nRoddick, the 2003 champion and 2006 runner-up, advanced Monday when his fourth-round opponent, No. 9-seeded Tomas Berdych, stopped playing in the second set because he had trouble breathing and felt sluggish.\n“I’ll probably head out to the practice courts right now,” said the fifth-seeded Roddick, who could face No. 1 Roger Federer next.\nRoddick was leading 7-6 (6), 2-0 when Berdych quit, making him 0-9 against top-10 opponents at Grand Slam tournaments. Roddick’s second-round opponent, Jose Acasuso, stopped because of a bad knee while trailing two sets to one.\nAt 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.\n“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.”\nHe saw a doctor after leaving the court, then headed for blood tests to try to figure out exactly what was wrong.\nEarlier Monday, 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova got off her stomach and closed the match, beating Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.\nKuznetsova needed five match points, finishing with a strong, cross-court forehand that Azarenka chased into the corner, losing her hat on \nthe way.\nEarlier 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.\nThe 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.\n“She’s tough,” said Kuznetsova, who won a warm up tournament in New Haven, Conn., the weekend before the U.S. Open when Szavay retired during the final with a back injury.\nSzavay 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 previous Grand Slam appearances ended in second-round losses at Wimbledon and the French Open this year.\nNo. 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.\nLater in the day, No. 10 Tommy Haas knocked out No. 6 James Blake in a fifth set tiebreak, and Federer was to meet Feliciano Lopez at night.\nIf it’s the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, it must be time for Serena Williams vs. Justine Henin.\nThey have been at the forefront of women’s tennis the past few years – and they sure can’t seem to escape each other lately. When Williams and Henin square off Tuesday, they will be playing at that stage in a third consecutive major.\n“We both have a lot of character and a lot of personality. We both have been very strong mentally on the court in the last few years. She won Grand Slams; I did. She’s been No. 1 and I’ve been,” said Henin, who currently tops the rankings. “Now let’s go and play, and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”\nShe beat Williams at the French Open on clay and at Wimbledon on grass, although the American won their meeting in the final at Key Biscayne, Fla., on hard courts in March, saving two match points in the process.\n“I’m going in feeling like I don’t have anything to lose,” said Williams, who is seeded No. 8 after falling out of the top 100 last year because of a lack of activity. “I just feel different now, excited about the prospect of meeting her again.”\nIf Williams can get past Henin this time, she could find another, even more familiar foe in the semifinals: older sister Venus.\nBoth siblings were downright dominant against recent Grand Slam finalists Sunday, with Serena Williams beating Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-4, a few hours before Venus Williams reached the quarterfinals by eliminating French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-2.\n“Serena reminds me of a pit bull dog and a young Mike Tyson, all in one. Venus reminds me of a gazelle that’s able to move, prance and jump,” father Richard Williams said. “Venus looks as if she is really enjoying herself out there more than Serena is right now. If they get by everyone and meet each other, it will be an interesting match.”