Andy Roddick, Last American Standing

That's usually the headline in January, if Serena Williams isn't playing the Australian Open, in early July, if Venus Willilams isn't playing Wimbledon, or in September during the US Open. But the silly season continues.

Andy Roddick advanced to his second career semifinal at the Foro Italico with a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5) victory over a determined Tommy Robredo, who's trying to get his career back on track.

Andy took a page from Radek Stepanek's book by serving big and smothering the net at every opportunity. He exhibited his trademark red clay fluster late in the second set when he dropped serve to drop the set and also in the third set when he surrendered his early break lead with a double fault. The crowd urged him on as he fought his way into a tiebreak.

I forgot how popular Andy is in Rome.



Robredo, showing know signs of his long match last night against Nikolay Davydenko, ran coast to coast to loop and lob back all that Andy threw at him and almost walked away with an upset.

I say upset because before today Robredo had never won a set against Andy which included a loss right here in Rome six years ago. The same year Andy advanced this far.

Tomorrow, the American will face Stanislas Wawrinka, a clay court specialist who needed three sets to defeat James Blake who was a mere two or three points away from his own milestone at a claycourt Masters event.

Will the silly season continue?

Stay tuned.