Today's post features a running diary of the Richard Gasquet/Andy Roddick fourth-round tussle in Indian Wells.  For once, Eastern Standard Time was not my friend, as the match commenced at midnight:

12:00 midnight – The live feed comes on! I was still unsure if it would work (first time I’ve watched a match live on this site), but we have lift-off. I’m watching the warm-ups. Coffee is halfway done; doughnuts haven’t been touched yet. Plenty of ammo in reserve for the hours ahead. [***Tennis Apparel Alert***] Gasquet’s Lacoste digs (plain blue with white shorts) are far better than Roddick’s (confusing white chest/navy sleeved shirt), but Gasquet’s 2006 U.S. Open shirt is still the best offering I’ve seen from the alligator manufacturer.

12:13 a.m. – Gasquet drops the first point of the match by blowing a wide open forehand at net, sending it right back to Roddick, who basically conceded the point. Surprised, Roddick lobs it back, and Richard duffs the return back into the net. Thankfully, the remainder of the game proves that this might have been opening-point jitters, as his serve looks formidable and his backhand incredible. Gasquet finishes the game with a smashing backhand winner.

'A Nadal/Roddick semi-final seems inevitable, but I can’t even see Nadal competing with this beast'


12:23am – On serve, 2-1 Gasquet. Roddick sends down a 145 mph serve into the body, and Gasquet continues to pummel the American with backhands. This is looking like a pretty impressive match, if the first three games are any indication. I saw Gasquet at the 2005 and 2006 U.S. Open, and I need to see him again this year. I also met his coach, Eric Deblicker, this past year. I want to meet him again, congratulate him on his pupil, and tell him that I can use any sponsorship money for [G/R] that they’d care to donate.

Also, you can hear the PA system’s music from the stadium very clearly in the feed. So far I’ve heard Eminem and Smashmouth. With that wide a spectrum, I say we’ll hear Yanni by the second set.

12:29am – Finishing off the doughnut and coffee. They’ve done their work – I feel good. Hopefully the fuel doesn’t run out on my end, or the players' – both of them look incredible out there. I wouldn’t doubt the night setting has a lot to do with it, as the scalding temperatures have been discussed quite a bit this week. By the way, Roddick hasn’t lost a point on his serve to this point (3-2 Gasquet, on serve).

12:32am – Gasquet finally gets a point on Roddick’s serve, but it takes an unbelievable backhand passing shot to do it. The first break of serve is taking this set – both players’ shots are just at the apex of their abilities in this first set. Volleys, forehands, backhands, serves; you name it, they are bringing it.

12:41am – Roddick’s serve is taken to deuce, but he pulls it out. Also, I have no idea how Roddick hasn’t mopped up the smaller hard-court events in the United States with his serve. It single-handedly should win him tournaments, let alone matches against inferior competition.

12:43am – Speaking of serving, Gasquet sends down three straight aces to make it 5-4, still on serve. It would take a lot to stop a tiebreaker from occurring at this point.

12:50am – From 15 feet behind the baseline, Gasquet hits a backhand winner (his ninth of the match) up the line for an incredible point. The crowds, and even the usually stoic announcers, love it. A full coil is required to pull off the shot, and almost no one else on tour does it successfully from that far behind the line. Just amazing 'beyond the baseline' play, which I don’t think anyone can do as effectively as Gasquet (remember his heroics in last year’s U.S. Open fourth-rounder against Hewitt?)

12:54am – Tiebreak.

12:58am – A couple of Gasquet forehand errors (some of the few in the set), makes it 4-2 to Roddick on the changeover…

1:00am – The forehand errors continue to plague Gasquet, two more in fact (making it four in the tiebreak), leading to a tiebreak victory for Roddick, 7-6 (7-3). The 12 games before the tiebreak provided some of the best tennis that I’ve witnessed – both players played remarkably. Only difference was the forehands from Richard in the tiebreak. The techno music montage plays (good times), but it's Roddick winners they are showing (not good times). Should’ve at least included some Gasquet backhands!

Fun fact: Number of times I used Alt-Tab to toggle between Internet Explorer and Word – 478.

1:06am – First backhand error from Gasquet that I can remember. In short order, Roddick gets the first break points of the match from either player, and quickly converts. 2-0 Roddick. Gasquet is in real trouble. They’re already talking about Roddick’s next opponent, but I can’t blame them the way Andy is serving. Just automatic.

1:07am – 3-0 Roddick. Yes, it took a minute.

1:12am – 4-1 Roddick. Andy looks like he’s having fun out there, bouncing the ball on his racquet a la Tiger Woods in his famous commercial, but he’s still dominating on his serve. Not even close. No unforced errors this set ,either.

1:20am – 5-2 Roddick. In the seventh game, Gasquet led 0-15, and had a great chance to get to 0-30. Certainly Richard’s best chance of the set to break – think about that. He’ll have just one more chance to break if he can hold.

1:24am – Gasquet holds, and needs to break here to continue. Roddick’s speed looks incredible, even in the lost game.

1:26am – In under half an hour, the second set is over, and the match is Roddick’s by a 7-6, 6-3 score. Andy looked incredible; probably as good as I’ve ever seen him. Speed, forehand, backhand and the serve…my, oh my, the serve…just untouchable. I can’t see anyone beating him this week, I have to say. A Nadal/Roddick semi-final seems inevitable, but I can’t even see Nadal competing with this beast. We’ll see, though.

Richard played admirably, and in the first set, he looked just as untouchable as Roddick. Clearly, the tiebreaker was his undoing, as he dropped serve early in the second; the 3-0 lead was too much to fight back from.

1:30am – Off to bed, if the coffee doesn’t have any lasting impact.

*** For more, please visit my tennis blog at: www.gasquetandracquet.com ***