Roddick extends career with easy win

NEW YORK (AP) - Andy Roddick was discussing his retirement-postponing victory during a TV interview when a group of fans interrupted by chanting, "One more year! One more year!"

How about one more match? That, at least, is a given now.

Roddick's not quite ready to quit just yet.

A day after surprisingly announcing the U.S. Open will be the last tournament of his career, Roddick dominated Australian teenager Bernard Tomic from start to finish Friday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium and won 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the third round.

"I had no idea what was going to happen out there," Roddick said. "I've played a lot of matches and that was a different kind of nerves than I've had before, so that was surprising for me."

The 2003 U.S. Open champion and former No. 1-ranked player took the time to look around the packed arena, eyeing people dancing in the stands during changeovers and taking it all in - in case this was it.

While the players warmed up on court before the match, the stadium announcer noted that Roddick was "competing in his final U.S. Open," and so he let out a deep exhale, then lifted his racket to acknowledge the fans' raucous applause. He made sure to pay attention to every detail, even getting rid of one tennis ball in the second set's second game after pointing out to the chair umpire that it was the sort of red-logo ball used for women's matches.

"There are no guarantees for me now," Roddick said, "so I was trying to notice stuff."

The match that followed, top-seeded Victoria Azarenka's 6-0, 6-1 victory over No. 28 Zheng Jie of China, was very much reduced to afterthought.

Other men's winners Friday included defending champion Novak Djokovic, 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro and 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt, who came back to beat Gilles Muller 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4.

The day's biggest surprise was 18-year-old Laura Robson's 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory over 2011 French Open champion Li Na, setting up a fourth-round match against defending women's champion Sam Stosur. Robson ended four-time major champion Kim Clijsters' singles career by beating her in the second round. Unlike Roddick, Clijsters let everyone know months ago that she would quit after the U.S. Open.