Andy Roddick joined a select group with his 500th career win on the ATP Tour as he dispatched fellow American Sam Querrey in their third round match at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington.
Roddick, returning to the circuit after losing an epic five-setter to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, is the 36th player in the Open era to reach the mark. He joins Federer (657), Carlos Moya (573) and Lleyton Hewitt (511) as active players who have reached the milestone. The top-seeded Roddick came through 7-6 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the hardcourt tournament. “It’s a pretty small number of players who have gotten there, an elite group,” Roddick told the official ATP Tour Web site www.atpworldtour.com. “It is validation of consistency in my career.” Roddick fell immediately behind to an early break by Querrey, who was coming off victory in the LA Open at the weekend, but quickly found his strike.
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The 26-year-old has compiled a 500-157 match record. plus 27 titles in 43 finals — winning three titles in Washington in 2001, 2005 and 2007. He will now face giant Croat Ivo Karlovic, a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Indian qualifier Somdev Devvarman. Home player John Isner also reached the Washington quarterfinals as he beat another qualifier, Frenchman Sebastien De Chaunac, 6-2 6-4. Isner next faces eighth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, who rallied for a 4-6 6-3 6-3 win in his third-round match against German Philipp Petzschner.
