NEW YORK -- So much for James Blake's success in five-setters.
With his rowdy fans pleading for him to put it away, Blake missed on three match points and wound up losing to No. 10 Tommy Haas 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (4) Monday at the U.S. Open.
Earlier in the tournament, Blake ended his 0-for-9 slump in five-set tries. He had his chances this time, too, but couldn't come up with that final, winning shot.
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Haas advanced to the quarterfinals for the third time in four years. The German made a full-out dive in the last set, and kept pressuring the sixth-seeded Blake at the net.
Blake's rooting section -- the J-Block -- tried to stir their favorite player throughout the match. The cheers reached a crescendo in the tiebreaker when Blake raced to the baseline for an over-the-shoulder shot, but Haas won that point with a picture-perfect lob to go up 4-3.
The match ended, however, in silence. Haas hit a 113 mph ace that Blake challenged, and the players looked at each other as the crowd became quiet with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.
The replay on the scoreboard confirmed the ball was indeed good, and it was over.
"I hope the audience enjoyed the show," Haas said.
Earlier Andy Roddick reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals thanks to another abbreviated work day.
Roddick, the 2003 champion and 2006 runner-up, advanced Monday when his fourth-round opponent, No. 9-seeded Tomas Berdych, stopped playing in the second set because of what appeared to be a breathing problem.
"I haven't been tested much this tournament so far," said the fifth-seeded Roddick, who could face No. 1 Roger Federer next.
Roddick was leading 7-6 (6), 2-0 when Berdych quit, making him 0-9 against top-10 opponents at Grand Slam tournaments. Roddick's second-round opponent, Jose Acasuso, stopped while trailing two sets to one.
"The body was so slow. It wasn't any, like, straight one problem or one pain or something," Berdych said. "Just, like, generally didn't feel well."
Almost from the get-go, Roddick knew Berdych was ailing.
"I heard him say something to the umpire early on in the first," Roddick said. "Then, of course, I'm trying to eavesdrop on his whole conversation he's having with the trainer."
Roddick went directly from Arthur Ashe Stadium to the practice court and hit for nearly an hour.
"I know that this is a lot better than being dead tired. Given the two options, I'll take this one," Roddick said.
At a changeover early in the match, Berdych asked to see a trainer and indicated he was having a hard time taking deep breaths. He then went out and broke Roddick twice to take a 5-3 lead and serve for the set. But Roddick broke back at love, then saved a set point in the tiebreaker.
Berdych saw a doctor after leaving the court, then headed for blood tests to try to figure out exactly what was wrong.
Later in the day, No. 6 James Blake was playing No. 10 Tommy Haas, and Federer was to meet Feliciano Lopez at night.
"No offense to Lopez, but I'm kind of already preparing for Roger," Roddick said, several hours before that match began.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Source: ESPN.com
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