Roddick sets up Djokovic Olympic clash

LONDON (AFP) –

Andy Roddick of the US returns the ball to Slovakia’s Martin Klizan during their London 2012 Olympic match on Monday. Roddick set up an Olympic Games clash with world number two Novak Djokovic as the three-time Wimbledon runner-up defeated Martin Klizan 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the Games.

Andy Roddick set up an Olympic Games clash with world number two Novak Djokovic as the three-time Wimbledon runner-up defeated Martin Klizan 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the Games on Monday.

Former world number one Roddick will meet 2011 Wimbledon winner Djokovic for a place in the last 16 following the American’s gritty victory over Slovakia’s Klizan in a match held over from Sunday due to rain.

Roddick, playing in his first Olympics since Athens in 2004 after missing Beijing four years ago, hasn’t been past the third round in his three Grand Slam appearances this year after struggling with a series of injuries.

But the 29-year-old has always thrived at Wimbledon and he will relish the opportunity of taking on Serbian second seed Djokovic, who looked out of sorts during his first round win over Fabio Fognini.

Meanwhile Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt battled into the second round of the Olympics with a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky at Wimbledon on Monday.

Australian tennis player Lleyton Hewitt trains at Wimbledon on July 25, two days before the start of the London 2012 Olympics. Hewitt battled into the second round of the Olympics with a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky at Wimbledon on Monday.

Hewitt’s world ranking has sunk to 158 after several years of injury problems and the 2002 Wimbledon champion needed a wild card to make it into the Games.

But the 31-year-old, who was angered by tournament organisers’ decision to snub his request for a doubles wildcard with partner Chris Guccione, is determined to make the most of what is likely to be his final chance to improve on a miserable Olympic record.

The former world number one crashed out in the first round in Sydney in 2000 and lost to eventual gold medal winner Rafael Nadal in the second round in Beijing in 2008.

With those frustrating memories driving him on, Hewitt looks in fiesty mood and he saw off Stavkovsky to set up a tricky last 32 clash against Croatian 13th seed Marin Cilic.

After spending all of a rain-ravaged Sunday waiting in vain to get on court, Hewitt was keen to make up for lost time and he took the attack to Stakhovsky, ranked 84th, in the first set.

He broke in the third game and drew roars of delight from the largely Australian crowd on Court 18 when another break took the set.

Stakhovsky levelled the match in the second set, but Hewitt came up with the goods at the crucial moment, unloading a series of winners to break for a 4-2 lead before serving out the win.