Andy Roddick fought back deep in the fourth set and dominated the fifth to overcome Fernando Gonzalez and his rowdy Chilean fans in Melbourne.  The biggest point of the match was a Roddick shot at set point that was called out but the review overruled and deemed it good, much to Gonzalez’s dismay, who had let the ball go without reaching for it.  Gonzalez insisted he had a play on the ball, but the umpire did not agree.  It gave Roddick the set and the momentum to close it out.   This was a reversal of the situation that set Roddick off after his win over Tomaz Belluci into a cursing tirade, even after he won the match.  The lesson here for both playerrs, as pointed out by Patrick McEnroe, is play the ball.  Roddick’s chance look good for a semi, with a date against Marin Cilic in the quarters, against whom he has a 1-1 career record.

The other American in the round of 16, big John Isner, fought Andy Murray tough, holding a set point in the first, but ultimately being overcome by the crafty Scotsman.  For some British sports writing hyperbole of the highest order, check out the Guardian’s coverage of the match, with lines like these:  Murray “reduced the 6ft 9inJohn Isner to a drained and dispirited wreck”; or “This was a match made in tennis heaven, given the perfectly meshed and contrasting styles of the combatants. Isner charged in on stilt-like legs behind his booming serve.”

Although Murray ran him ragged, look for Isner to have a big year, though, especially on the fast courts.  How about a Wimbledon win for Isner to give the Brits more fodder for alliteration and metaphor?

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