NEW YORK: America demanded a champion, Andy Roddick stepped up to the plate. With the sun setting at Flushing Meadows he battered Juan Carlos Ferrero into submission on Sunday to win his first grand slam crown at the US Open.

His 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 victory was a triumph of bone-rattling power which shattered the metronomic consistency of the new world No 1.

It also served as notice that the man they call 'A-Rod' is ready to step into the shoes of Pete Sampras and lead a new generation of Americans to grand slam glory.

After pounding down a 23rd ace on his first match point, the 21-year-old held his head in his hands and simply sobbed.

With tears rolling down his cheeks he gazed, glassy-eyed, around the howling New York crowd, screaming for their new champion.

He fell, crying, into the arms of his coach Brad Gilbert before heading off to kiss actress girlfriend Mandy Moore and his mother Blanche.

"It hasn't sunk in yet... I don't think you could have written the script any better, starting with Pete's retirement," said Roddick, who takes the title left vacant by Sampras when he confirmed his retirement on the opening evening of the season's final grand slam.

"With the crowd here... I'm playing for everybody. They're living and dying each point with me. It's just... it's too good.

"You know, I can't imagine my name and US Open champion together. It's more than I could ever dream of. For years I came to this tournament and just watched from way up there.

"I'm in absolute disbelief right now. I have my friends and my family here. I couldn't have a better day."

Gritty venue

There could hardly have been a better way to celebrate the US Open's 25th anniversary of its move to Flushing Meadows, the loudest, most gritty venue of the four grand slams.

Yet he had so nearly missed the party. In Saturday's semi-final he had been two sets and match point down against Argentinian David Nalbandian before mounting a fairytale comeback.

Roddick plays tennis the way New Yorkers like it. He's loud, he's cocky and he hits a mean ball.

The sonic boom on his serve drowns out the planes flying overhead into nearby La Guardia airport.

Nobody in the world has hit a serve faster than the American and on Sunday it was too hot for Ferrero to handle.

"I didn't do my tennis," Ferrero said. "Maybe because he served so hard all the time, I couldn't feel a rhythm on court. It's a very big serve, you know?

"Today was not my day."

The Spaniard was playing with an "experimental racket" according to its manufacturers but the racket has not been made that can tame the Roddick serve and time and again the 140 miles per hour-plus rockets ricocheted off Ferrero's frame.

There was little respite for the Spaniard when it was his turn to serve. Roddick's forehand should come with a health warning too.

He whips the ball with ferocious power and swings his backhand like a New York Yankee.

Never mind that the rankings will show Ferrero as the world No 1 on Monday. On centre court he stood no chance.

In front of an excitable Flushing Meadows crowd Roddick burst from the blocks opening the first game with a 116 miles per hour ace and ending it with one timed at 108 mph.

Feasting on the energy of a partisan crowd hungry for an American win, Roddick then easily held serve, slamming three consecutive aces for his first slam. The US crown was his sixth title of the year, more than any other player.

Agencies via Xinhua

(China Daily 09/09/2003 page8)