Tennis: Bleak birthday for Roddick

Andy Roddick (left) and Gilles Muller of Luxembourg shake hands after their US Open match. Picture / Reuters

NEW YORK - Home favourite Andy Roddick found it difficult to contain his disappointment after crashing out of the US Open championship at the first hurdle yesterday, falling 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (6-8), 6-7 (1-7) to an inspired Gilles Muller, of Luxembourg.

The American fourth seed and champion at Flushing Meadows in 2003 could do little to prevent his opponent from grinding out three successive tiebreaks on his way to a famous win.

"I am in a little bit of shock right now," Roddick said after the match. "I'd give anything to go back four hours. I don't really remember a loss where I've felt this bad afterwards.

"Twenty-four hours ago I was really optimistic. I have never felt better going into a Grand Slam than I did here. This has totally blindsided me. I felt like I was going to have a pretty good run here.

"I love playing here. I probably had the best practice week I have ever had, and it just didn't translate today."

Roddick began brightly on his 23rd birthday as he surged to a 5-2 lead in front of a packed crowd on Arthur Ashe Court.

Serving for the first set at 5-3, Roddick was broken to love as Muller, who upset Spaniard Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in June, held his nerve at the end of each set to clinch one of the most impressive wins of his career.

While Roddick faced the extra pressure of an expectant home crowd, the 22-year-old Muller said he was not nervous ahead of his first match against the big-serving American.

"I see these guys in a different way," Muller said about taking on the top-ranked players.

"Roddick is a big guy in the States, but I see him in the locker room. He's just another player."

The deadpan Muller, who said he already ranks as the greatest men's player from Luxembourg, only let his emotions show after big points, but otherwise stayed cool, calm and dominant.

Roddick felt he lost his chance of victory as early as the first set.

"The biggest thing was at 5-3 in the first set," he said. "Had I rolled through that and won the set 6-3, then who knows?

"I can blame myself because I was in control and then I let him back in. To his credit, he really raised his level after that."

Roddick, who was runner-up at the Cincinnati Masters just 10 days ago, said the defeat was doubly disappointing because of the extra work he had put in this year.

"I feel like I have put more work in mentally and physically, in every which way, and I've never cared so much as I do now."

Earlier, the air turned foul when British teenager Andy Murray earned a controversial five-set victory over Romania's Andrei Pavel.

The match featured a 21-minute delay after 18-year-old Murray, making his debut at the Open and exhausted in the humid conditions, vomited on the court in the fifth set.

Pavel was later deducted a point after repeatedly swearing at the umpire for overruling a line call.

Qualifier Murray, who has risen to 122 in the rankings this year, eventually won 6-3, 3-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in three hours and 18 minutes.

He is the only remaining Briton left in the draw after 12th seed Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski lost earlier in the day.

Murray threw up in the tramlines after taking a swig from an energy drink while leading 2-1 in the fifth set.

A lengthy delay ensued while officials cleaned the mess from the court with towels, and the interruption initially seemed to affect Murray more than his opponent.

On the resumption, he lost serve, but more controversy followed at 3-3 when the umpire overruled to call a Murray shot in, to the fury of Pavel.

"You're f ... ing blind," the 31-year-old told the umpire.

He lost serve and after continuing his tirade during the changeover was penalised a point, meaning he started the next game 0-15 down.

With the crowd firmly on his side, Murray served out to complete what he called the best win of his career over an opponent ranked 83 places above him.

"That's my best win, or the one that I've enjoyed the most," the Scot said.

Murray blamed his on-court accident on a sodium-rich energy drink.

Roger Federer started his title defence with a ruthless first-round demolition of Czech Ivo Minar.

A year ago, Federer crushed Australian Lleyton Hewitt in the final and the Swiss top seed's 61-minute, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Minar on the same Arthur Ashe Court sent out an ominous warning to those who covet his US crown.

Federer had played only one tournament since completing a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles in July, but looked in peak form from the start against Minar, lashing forehand winners at will.

"That doesn't happen very often going into Slams," said Federer, who will play Frenchman Fabrice Santoro next.

"Usually early on I'm looking for my rhythm. Today it was there straight away. It's a good sign, a good feeling."

Former French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten earned only his third tournament win of 2005 with a four-set victory over American Paul Goldstein, the Brazilian serving 35 aces in the process.

However, another ex-Roland Garros champion, Juan Carlos Ferrero, of Spain, seeded 20, lost 5-7, 5-7, 1-6 to Frenchman Arnaud Clement.

Argentine 11th seed David Nalbandian, the 2003 semifinalist, came through in three sets against Alex Bogomolov of the US.

In the women's draw, Russian sixth-seed Elena Dementieva, the runner-up last year, recovered from a slow start to quell Czech Lucie Safarova, 7-5, 6-3. Compatriot Anastasia Myskina, seeded 13, enjoyed a 6-3, 6-1 win over Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn.

World No 1 Lindsay Davenport gave the home crowd something to cheer about when she carved out a 6-4, 6-4 victory over hard-hitting Li Na, of China.

Coming off victory at last week's New Haven Open, the second-seeded Davenport was not at her sharpest in her first match against 23-year-old Li, who last year became the first Chinese to win a women's Tour event.

- REUTERS