Memphis, Tennessee – Andy Roddick greeted the year 2009 with a victory at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. Roddick was up against Czech player, Radek Stepanek, in the finals and won in two sets scoring consistently with 7-5 and 7-5. This title is Roddick’s 27th in his career. Only Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have won more titles above him amongst active players with 57 titles and 32 titles respectively.
This match was probably even considered a revenge for Andy Roddick as he was beaten by Stepanek in the semifinals in San Jose a week before. Stepanek stepped up his game primarily because he was aiming to be the first Czech to win in Memphis since Ivan Lendl in 1991. In fact, Stepanek won nine consecutive matches and Roddick even admitted to playing quite a game against the Czech player. Stepanek would probably have won the game if not after struggling with unforced errors.
Roddick is scheduled to defend his title in Dubai but confirmed that the match will not push through after knowing that his opponent, Shahar Peer, was denied a visa. Roddick is currently ranked number six in the world and walked away with $300,000 in prize money and 500 ranking points for the ATP World Tour. This is Roddick’s second win in Memphis.