Roddick Topples Nadal

In his biggest victory since I can't remember when, Andy Roddick beat world No. 2 and former Dubai champion Rafael Nadal 7-6(5), 6-2 in a stellar quarterfinal match that lit up the fans.

The second game of the match felt like its own set. Rafa fought off five break points in a game that seemed to last 10 minutes. He fought off two more break points before taking a lead in the tiebreak.

But Andy, who was more tenacious than I've seen in a long while, fought back and took the tiebreak on his own serve.

Andy avoided his usual early-set letdown after winning a tiebreak. Instead, he finally capitalized on his eighth break point of the contest, and took a 2-1 lead. He broke again in the fifth game and had to fight off two break points when serving out the match. He sealed the deal with an ace up the T, held his arms aloft, and smiled like a giddy teenager.

Andy finished the match with 17 aces and saved all three breakpoints. He struck 10 forehand winners to Rafa's 16.