Andy Roddick Defeats Fabio Fognini to Advance at 2012 US Open

Andy Roddick is not going to go into that good night gently—he has advanced to the final 16 of the U.S. Open by dispatching Fabio Fognini 7-5, 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-4. 

Roddick was on with his serve and solid with his ground-strokes as he delighted fans while keeping his swan song rolling. Earlier in the tournament, he announced this would be the last tournament of his career. 

While these were hard-fought sets, Roddick remained in control of this match, largely because of his booming serve.

There were a couple of key moments in this one, and for the most part, they all went Roddick's way.

Tied at five games apiece in the first set, Fognini inched close to a break as he pushed Roddick to a deuce, but Roddick's serve came to the rescue and he carried that momentum to break Fognini to take the set in the next game. 

Roddick was forced into a tiebreak in the second set, as his quicker opponent was beginning to run him around the court, but he quickly took control of the tiebreaker and cruised. 

Fognini made things a little interesting by taking the third set. Yet, the two were locked at 3-3 in the fourth with Fognini serving.

Roddick forced a deuce and eventually got the break. He lost just one point in his ensuing service game, and patiently waited out Fognini's serve until he could close out the match in appropriate fashion with his serve. 

While it is still a longshot, it is not out of the question that Roddick could roll into the semifinals or further. His game is well suited for the hardcourts of Flushing Meadows. He won this tournament in 2003, which makes him the last U.S. man to win a Grand Slam. 

Roddick has certainly been more mobile and athletic in past efforts, but his serve and ground-strokes are on point. Don't count him out yet.