ANDY RODDICK FIRES WARNING

ANDY RODDICK blasted 31 aces past Austrian Jurgen Melzer as he fired a powerful warning to the other big guns.

The 26-year-old Texan, twice Wimbledon runner-up, believes this is his year. And he kept the Murray watchers waiting for seven minutes under three hours on Centre Court as he dispatched a man he has now beaten nine times straight 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.

Roddick's howitzer service, which reached a stunning 140mph, is as big and bold as ever. But he almost met his match in Melzer, who smashed 25 aces of his own.

Roddick admitted: "There's room for improvement. It seems like I can't break until I get to a fourth set so I need to work on that.

"I feel like every time I've had a bunch of break points and haven't converted while my opponent has had one and converted. I've got to work on closing that out."

Some believe Roddick does not have a Plan B to beat top men Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. But the cards have fallen kindly for the sixth seed.

He will face Czech Tomas Berdych, seeded 20th, in the last 16. And with Rafa Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro already out of his way he has a good ride all the way to the semi-final, where he could meet Murray.

Roddick said: "They say the second week is when the tournament really starts but I feel like it has plenty started already. I'm certainly happy to be in the second week again."

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