Andy Roddick delayed his retirement from tennis as he dismantled Australian teenager Bernard Tomic to reach the third round of the US Open.
Roddick announced on his 30th birthday on Thursday that this tournament would be his last and took a couple of deep breaths as he stepped out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for what could have been his last match.
The clash had the look of the one between Kim Clijsters and Laura Robson on Wednesday that sent the Belgian into retirement earlier than would have been expected against one of the game's rising stars.
But Roddick was on top form in a record 27th night match on Flushing Meadows' giant main stage, while Tomic most definitely was not and the 2003 champion ran out an extremely comfortable 6-3 6-4 6-0 winner.
Roddick admitted he had been emotional before the match saying: "I've been trying to be good all day but I had a rough patch about 15 minutes before when I walked by a TV when it was showing one of those slow-motion montages.
One-sided
"There wasn't any volume but I assume it was set to an 80s ballad. That got me a little bit. I wanted to come out and be aggressive and that worked."
Tomic, the only teenager in the world's top 100, looked nervous at the start and an immediate break of serve was enough for Roddick to take the first set.
The American was serving very well and coming to the net often and his pressure paid off in the ninth game of the second set with another break, while Tomic never got a look in on Roddick's serve.
The 19-year-old reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year as a qualifier but his progress has stalled this season and he has won only four of his last 13 matches.
The third set was horribly one-sided as Roddick won at a canter to set up a third-round meeting with Italy's Fabio Fognini on Sunday.
He added: "I know Fabio, we're very friendly, he's a nice guy. I'll look forward to it and I'm going to try to stick around a little longer."
