2012 BB&T Atlanta Open: Andy Roddick Takes Title

It took three sets, which was certainly longer than Andy Roddick would have liked. But the American star, aging in tennis terms, fended off John Isner to move on to the finals of the 2012 BB&T Atlanta Open on Saturday night.

Roddick will have a chance to see another big server, Gilles Muller, in Sunday’s final. Muller defeated Go Soeda, 6-3, 6-4, after serving up 17 aces and never facing a break point.

The semifinals of the 2012 BB&T Atlanta Open are scheduled for Saturday with two prominent Americans set to face off.

First-seeded John Isner will face fellow American Andy Roddick. The fourth-seeded Roddick advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Michael Russell. Isner also needed two sets to win his quarterfinal match against Jack Sock 7-6, 6-4. Roddick is 3-2 in his career against Isner.

The quarterfinals of the 2012 BB&T Atlanta Open concluded Friday with a couple of notable names advancing to the semifinals.

No. 4 seed Andy Roddick punched his ticket to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Michael Russell. Roddick’s serve was especially strong Friday as he won 82 percent of his service points and finished with 12 aces. Roddick will move on to face No. 1 seed John Isner. Isner knocked off Jack Sock 7-6, 6-4 to advance.

The first two rounds are in the books at the 2012 BB&T Atlanta Open, and quarterfinal play begins Friday. It will be a busy day on the court with four quarterfinal matches scheduled. Three of the four matches will feature at least one seeded player, including No. 4 Andy Roddick and No. 1 John Isner.

Roddick will face off against fellow American Michael Russell. Russell advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating No. 5 seed Kevin Anderson while Roddick knocked off Nicolas Mahut, 7-6, 6-3. No. 1 John Isner will play in the late match Friday night, facing Jack Sock. Isner needed three sets to get past Ruben Bemelmans in the second round, while Sock defeated Steve Johnson 7-6, 7-6.

The 2012 BB&T Atlanta Open continued its Round of 32 play on Tuesday, and not even a rain delay was able to put a damper on these matches. James Blake upset No. 6 seed Ryan Harrison in three sets, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Blake will play Matthew Ebden in the next round.

No. 8 seed Go Soeda took care of Xavier Malisse, who played Roger Federer to four sets at Wimbledon, in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Soeda’s victory, like Blake’s, was part of the day’s pattern: all three-set winners rebounded from a loss in the first set. Soeda has his next match against Igor Kunitsyn.