Gambill Rides on Roddick’s Wild Side

To say that Andy Roddick’s straight-set loss to Jan-Michael Gambill came down to one or two shots would be a version of sports shorthand. After all, the match lasted 1 hour 11 minutes under the hot sun at UCLA on Saturday.

But one or two shots showed it just wasn’t going to fall right for the fourth-seeded Roddick. He framed a second serve, down set point, and the ball went flying away, along with the first set. In the second, two points from losing, Roddick took a big backswing, looking for a decent crack at Gambill’s second serve, and sent the return way long.

These aren’t the shots the 19-year-old Roddick is known for. But sports shorthand would exclude the guy on the other side of the net. Gambill skillfully mixed up his serve, hitting 12 aces and changing speeds, and made an important mid-match correction, saving two set points.

It all added up to a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Roddick in a Mercedes-Benz Cup semifinal. In today’s final, he will play Andre Agassi, the defending champion. Agassi, seeded second, had few worries in the night semifinal, defeating eighth-seeded Max Mirnyi of Belarus, 6-4, 6-2, in 61 minutes.

Mirnyi is known for his powerful serve, but his strength played right into Agassi’s best weapon, his vaunted return game. Agassi converted four of nine on break-point opportunities and lost his serve only once.

Agassi’s dominance only expanded in the second set. He lost one point in the first four games, and dropped one point on his own serve in the entire set.

He ended the semifinal in emphatic fashion, hitting a 114-mph ace.

“He showed why he’s one of the best players to ever play the game,” said Mirnyi, who had never faced Agassi before Saturday.

Said Agassi, appearing touched: “It’s a pretty humbling compliment. It’s a bit of an overwhelming statement and I appreciate the respect. You have to come out and prove you’re the best every day.”

He will be attempting to win his third title here, and add a fourth championship to his collection in 2002. Agassi, who has won at Scottsdale, Ariz., Miami and Rome this year, has lost one set in three rounds here, to Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil in Friday’s quarterfinal.

This was Agassi’s first event since losing in the second round at Wimbledon, and his performance here has answered some questions in his mind.

“It’s less about winning and being in the final and more about how I’ve done it,” he said. “I’ve [faced] a nice variety that’s tested many aspects of my game and a lot has come together this week.”

Gambill will be a familiar opponent. Agassi leads their series, 7-2, and has not lost to him since 1999, winning their last four meetings in straight sets.

“It should be a good one,” Agassi said. “The important thing for me is to control the match, control the points. There won’t be a lot of mystery. We’ve played each other enough.”

Gambill, who has reached three semifinals in 2002, will be trying to win his third career title and first since 2001, hoping this event will serve as a springboard for the summer hard-court season.

Beating Roddick was a major step forward. Gambill helped himself take control of the match in the first set by moving back behind the baseline to return serve. It wasn’t the easiest decision.

“He was playing very good tennis in that first set,” Gambill said. “If he continued to serve that out, that’s just too good. I backed up. You try not to get a little bit bullheaded and just stand on the baseline and try and duke it out. Against Andy Roddick you can’t do that. He’s just too good.”

As for Roddick, he was going to keep firing away with his forehand, despite the near-misses. There was no second option.

“It’s always there in my mind,” Roddick said. “It’s just a day. I’ve been hitting forehand winners for the past four days, and everyone is talking about the greatest forehand in the world. And I miss a couple today, and it’s all of a sudden, ‘Do you think you should not pull the trigger?’ No, I’m gonna pull the trigger. If I pull back, it’s not going to win tournaments.”

Additionally, Roddick was visibly upset about an overrule on his serve late in the first set.

“Just a disagreement,” he said. “If [the chair umpire] thinks he can see a 130[-mph] serve 100%, that’s his deal. I just questioned that. I still think in my last game, the bigger part, besides that, was the fact I missed two forehands.”

Gambill’s on-court composure evaporated when he entered the interview room. Angry over a passing mention in Saturday’s paper, he unleashed a verbal attack on a Times columnist, twice using the word “witch.” An ATP communications director helped defuse the situation, calming Gambill down.