Hot Rod knocks out Djokovic

In the semi-final of the entertainers at the Dubai Open, it was Andy Roddick who ran the show.

In the semi-final of the entertainers at the Dubai Open, it was Andy Roddick who ran the show. With sledge-hammer serves touching 237 kmph, the American prevailed over Serbian second seed Novak Djokovic 7-6 5, 6-4 in an hour and 29 minutes.

Djokovic knew from the start that the fast court suited Roddick more, and that the American would bank on his service. 8220;I was nervous. I knew Andy would rely on his serve. It8217;s a big weapon, he used it very well,8221; an off-colour Djokovic said. He had eleven aces himself, but all in the first set.

Roddick said: 8220;I can play tennis sometimes, you know. It8217;s not just the service. The week has been a different level for me and you can8217;t discount the fact that the coach has nothing to do with it,8221; he said, seemingly inspired by the split from Jimmy Connors.

If one is to believe the prankster, it is the hotel staff8217;s 8216;Congratulations, Andy!8217; notes after every match, and the accompanying bouquet that is the sole motivator at the tournament. Roddick8217;s waiting for one last note.

In the other semi-final, Feliciano Lopez pulled a bunny out of his hat, upsetting Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 . The gracious Spaniard, in his second Dubai final, acknowledged that 8220;luck8221; played a big role. Lopez had been down 0-3, but claimed it in 39 minutes, four blazing aces standing out.

Despite the win, Lopez8217;s game was inconsistent. What he did with the big serves, he undid with his double faults 8212; a total of nine 8212; and his first serve percentage never made it the 50 per cent mark.

The crowd 8212; evenly spilt between the Russian and the unseeded Spaniard 8212; had to wait till the third set, however, to see Lopez retain the vim and vigour of his first-set effort.

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Meanwhile, Mahesh Bhupathi and partner Mark Knowles of the Bahamas beat the Swede-Austrian duo of Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle 6-2, 6-0 to reach the men8217;s doubles finals. They8217;ll face the Czech pair of Martin Damm and Pavel Vizner.