Roddick goes through in straight sets

Andy Roddick summoned a straight-sets victory over 15th seed Guillermo Coria to move into the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Court One.

Last year’s losing finalist was just too strong for the Argentinian clay-court expert who found the fourth round was as far as he could go on his least familiar surface.

Coria deserves much credit for his attitude here but that alone was never likely to be enough against the power-serving second seed who had beaten him in all four of their previous meetings.

After a plucky one hour and 52 minute challenge in which he managed two breaks of the Roddick serve, Coria’s grass-court season ended with a 6-3 7-6 6-4 defeat.

Roddick is still showing flashes of the inconsistency which has dogged him this season but was able to seize upon a weak Coria serve to take the initiative.

Having missed four break point opportunities in the Argentinian’s first two service games alone, Roddick finally broke the 15th seed via a double-fault for a 3-2 lead.

Roddick’s own serve was not entirely impenetrable as he was forced to save two break points of his own in the previous game, but he remained in control and broke for a second time and the set when Coria double-faulted again with 35 minutes on the clock.

The Argentinian’s serve continued to let him down into the second set and a weak backhand into the net gave Roddick the immediate advantage for 2-0.

But Coria picked up his serve sufficiently to prolong the apparent inevitability of a two-set deficit, then fashioned a sizzling return to prevent Roddick serving out for the set and break back for 4-5.

Coria was suddenly warming to his task – a sensational stretching forehand and an audacious drop shot hauling him back level at 5-5.

The revitalised underdog went on to force the tie-break where Roddick’s much greater consistency proved decisive and he raced through to take it 7-1.

Coria seemed down and out when two consecutive double faults handed Roddick a break in the first game of the second set.

But then it was the turn of the American’s serve to be questioned again, as Roddick was forced to save two break points in the following game.

And Coria’s determination gained him a break back in the sixth game for 3-3 to the delight of a Court One crowd, the majority of whom were clearly rooting for the Argentinian.

Roddick broke back immediately when Coria hit a wide backhand but was then forced to save a break point following two consecutive double faults of his own.

But the second seed escaped and went on to serve out with an ace to complete victory and another last eight place.