Luck Helps Roddick to Repeat Show

Andy Roddick will again play Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men's final. But the expected pairing of the first and second seeds did not come quite as easily as expected. Roddick's match against Thomas Johansson started poorly, but developed into one of the most competitive and captivating confrontations of the tournament.

The resumption of the first set at lunchtime yesterday was scrappy. Having lost only four points on his serve during the set, Roddick still found himself taken to a tie-break.

A couple of bang-bang serves seemed to leave Johansson for dead at 2-4 - an impression reinforced as Roddick found himself with two set points. But on the first he dumped an easy forehand into the bottom half of the net and on the second he lumbered to the net and was passed by Johansson. Two points later and the set had eluded him.

The players left the court - Johansson asked for a lavatory break - as if anxious to erase the last 10 minutes of play and start again. It worked. There was a long rally at the start of the second set, during which both players found their rhythm and the sustained standard for the rest of the match.

Initially it was Roddick, from Texas, who was in the ascendant as he big-served his way to win the second set 6-2. But the Swedish Johansson, who had appeared to be a barometer player (if you play well you beat him, if you don't you don't - his performance remains constant) raised the temperature in the 68-minute third set.

Break-points, until now scarce, suddenly became abundant. The Roddick serve, until now unanswerable, suddenly became easy to read. The longer the rally, the more likely the Swede would win it and the rallies were getting longer.

The set culminated in another tie-break. Johansson had the first set point but overhit his first serve out of the court and followed it with an overhit forehand. There were two further chances, but they were both on the fully functioning Roddick serve - he has been double faultless in his last two matches.

Finally, Roddick had a set point on his serve and he closed it out 12-10. The American held his serve at the opening of the fourth set. The Swede responded in kind. Roddick held to love.

Under usual circumstances the women's finalists would have been stepping out on to court. How long they were delayed was dependent on how long Johansson could hang in with Roddick, a task made all the harder by the American finding yet more devilment on his serve.

Johansson, however, refused to wilt, mixing up his game and not coming close to offering Roddick a break point. The set moved towards a tie-break.

Pretty soon Johansson found himself serving to stay in the match at 4-5. He ate half a banana during the rest to steel himself. A streaky netcord and a poor forehand saw him struggling at 15-30, but he remained calm and he remained in the match. But with Roddick continuing to serve superbly, slamming in his first serve three times out of four, it was merely a matter of minutes before the Swede was required to repeat the task.

He did so to love. And the match went into its third tie-break. Serve was held until the tenth point with both players failing to take their one half-chance on offer. And then at 5-5 Roddick returned, the ball hung on the net cord and dribbled over. One banged serve later, so was the match.

'It was tough and I got a bit lucky in the tie-break in the final set with the one that just trickled over,' said Roddick. 'He played great and I was lucky to get through today. I felt I had to give it my all.'

Now he must face Federer, a man who relishes the problems provided by the fearsome serve of the American. After he lost to him last year Roddick said, 'Roger played too good, I threw the kitchen sink at him, but he went to the bathroom and got a tub.'

Once again the post-match interview may offer Roddick his best opportunity to shine.