KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Andy Roddick beat Roger Federer for only the third time in their 24 meetings Monday night, dominating with his serve to win 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-4 in the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Roddick broke only once but held every service game in the first and last sets. After falling behind 15-30 in the final game, he closed out the victory with an ace and two service winners.
On paper, the matchup looked like a mismatch between former No. 1s, each a two-time champion in the event. The third-ranked Federer began the night 40-2 since the U.S. Open, while Roddick was ranked 34th, the lowest he has been since 2001.
Roddick ended Federer’s streak of 77 consecutive wins against players outside the top 20.
