Federer pushed to five sets; Roddick also into quarterfinals

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09/02/2008 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer needed 3 1/2 hours to complete his five-set, fourth-round win over 23rd seed Igor Andreev of Russia, while American Andy Roddick continued to roll in moving to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.

Federer kept alive his quest for a fifth straight U.S. Open title, earning a 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory. That advanced him to the quarterfinals against an unlikely opponent, Gilles Muller of Luxembourg. Muller upset fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12-10).

The eighth-seeded Roddick breezed past 11th seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 in less than 1 1/2 hours.

Last year's runner-up Novak Djokovic was a hard-fought fourth-round winner Tuesday. The third-seeded Djokovic came from behind to beat game 15th-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 on Day 9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The second-seeded Federer ran his winning streak to 31 at the U.S. Open, last losing in Flushing in 2003. The former long-time world No. 1 Swiss, a 12-time major champion, overcame 60 unforced errors, but dominated at the net, winning 58 of a possible 84 points. Conversely, Andreev was just 12-of-28 on his net approaches. Also, the Russian converted just 2-of-15 break point chances.

Federer won the first three games of the final set, which included a key break of serve in the second game. Andreev was successful on a drop shot, but Federer returned the ball to the right corner, and the Russian's backhand went wide as the Super Swiss went up 2-0.

Then came four break point saves by Federer in the seventh game, when he went ahead 5-2 before finally serving out for the match.

It marked just the third time ever that Federer has played five sets at the U.S. Open.

"I'm very happy with the score, of course you always wish three sets," said Federer. "Honestly, those five-setters are pretty fun too."

Roddick, the 2003 champion here, had just seven unforced errors in his match with the Olympic silver medalist Gonzalez. Roddick was in complete control, firing eight aces and facing just one break point the entire match.

Now he has the task of facing Djokovic, who has been slowed by a number of injuries, including ones to his hip and ankle.

"I've got to feel good, he's got about 16 injuries right now," said Roddick. "He's made himself one of the elite players in the world. I'm just going to have fun and try to get the upset."

Davydenko reached the semifinals here the last two years, but couldn't handle Muller's expert play at the net. Muller converted 35-of-47 net approach opportunities.

Djokovic struggled mightily physically on a warm Tuesday at the year's fourth and final major. The Serb was bothered by an upset stomach and a sore ankle, but ultimately outlasted the pesky Robredo in 3 hours, 44 minutes.

The 21-year-old Djokovic broke Robredo to grab a 3-2 lead in the fifth and final set and broke again four games later to finally end the battle at Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic converted on his first match point when Robredo netted one final forehand. The Serb, who let the Spaniard hang around by committing 58 unforced errors, wound up with 11 aces and broke Robredo's serve six times.

The 6-foot-3 Djokovic was last year's U.S. Open runner-up to Federer and captured the Australian Open title back in January.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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