As the Worm turns: Stepanek v. Roddick in final

Mark LyonsRadek Stepanek is looking for his first win over Andy Roddick.

FROM THE SAP OPEN IN SAN JOSE – The ebullient Radek Stepanek did "The Worm" after his 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1 victory over Robby Ginepri in the semifinals on Saturday.

Stepanek will face top seed Andy Roddick, who played his best match of the event in gouging Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6(2), 6-1.

The 28-year-old Czech is bubbling with charisma and even though the pro-American crowd was clearly in Ginepri's corner, they grew warm to Stepanek, who makes fans thinks while he plays. He really can do it all, although he doesn't do everything well.

He has a fine flat two-handed backhand that is ably supported by a one-handed slice. He serves and volleys frequently, even though he doesn't kill his first serve, relying more on placement. He is a sure-handed volleyer and can roll and hit through his forehand. He's no burner, but moves reasonably well. He frequently changes direction and pace. He out-thought Ginepri and out-played him.

"I was outplaying him," said Stepanek. "My advantage is that I can change the rhythm of the game. I can serve it and volley, play from the back, slice, and mix in drop shots. That's what dangerous for my opponents."

The 29-year-old Czech is cherry off court, even though he can get angry on court. He hides very little. Even though he doesn't like to discuss his personal life when I asked him whether he thought that that his ex-fiancée, Martina Hingis, actually snorted cocaine at '07 Wimbledon, he defended her, even though the two has a less than pleasant split and haven't spoken in a long time.

"It's difficult. From my point of view I don't think she was involved in that but that's only personal opinion," he said.

Stepanek is now dating Nicole Vaidisova, who is significantly younger than he is, and is significantly less interesting on court and off. She's a factory-made player with a robotic personality (except when she's blowing her cool when she's playing badly), but the Czechs broke the mold when Stepanek came out of the womb. You see it all on his tongue wagging face when he competes.

"I tried to play one match in my career without showing one emotion good or bad and I lost 0 and 1, I had no fun on court and I was just hitting balls and I was like poker player with sunglasses and I should have sat somewhere on corner and no court. I naturally am that way. I'm more involved in the game and I hope fans like it and have more fun too."

Here’s what Roddick, who is 3-0 against Radek, thinks about the Czech’s physical gyrations: “You know he’s going to hit a good shot and do his kick thing, his song and dance, the scoot, the fist pump – he has a lot of good moves. But the tongue flick – that’s just disgusting. I’m serious, that disgusting. But playing wise, he does a little bit of everything so you have to be aware and do what you need to because he can be random.”

Stepanek has only won two career titles and is a bit of an underachiever. He's had a solid last seven months, but has not been spectacular. Perhaps he has too much going on at times. There's something to be said for grip and rip.

"Sometimes I have too many ideas," he said. "But for some other players is easier for them to have one type of game, if it's going well, it's fine, but if not, they don't have another program. It's important to find the balance.

In the first set, he let go of a 5-3 lead in the tiebreak when he double faulted, committed a backhand error, watched Ginepri pass him with a brilliant crosscourt backhand and then made another backhand error.


Mark Lyons Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez went down
in the semis. But the 25-year-old Ginepri, who had upset James Blake, couldn't take care of a couple of break point opportunities early in the second set and Stepanek then began to whale on him.

"I had more chances on his serve in the first set and I thought I was the better player," Stepanek said. "When the tiebreak slipped away, I wasn't happy, but I knew it was only one set and if you want to win a match you have to win two."

The Czech broke Ginepri to 4-3 on a gorgeous backhand approach shot that the American couldn't pick up, which prompted the American to smash his racket to near pieces to the ground, for which he received a code violation.

Ginepri then fell apart, as he lost nine of the next 10 games and the match.

"I played too defensive," said Ginepri "You can't give guys at this level that many opportunities. He's smart and has a real good understanding of the game. He's an awkward guy to play and he puts pressure on you at all the right moments."

The 34th-ranked Stepanek should crack the Top 30 when the rankings are released on Monday. He reached a career high No. 8 in July 2006 and plans on returning to the Top 10 this year. The Czech Republic has a rich tennis history (think Jaroslav Drobny, Ivan Lendl, Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna) and players who don't contend for major titles don't command as much respect.

"I know have the ability to be a Top-10 player, because I was there and I know what it takes," he said. "But it's not going to happen overnight. But because of my neck injury [in 2006], it takes time and I have to be patient and put myself in that position."

Stepanek won his second career crown last summer in Los Angeles and is now on a nine match-winning streak in California. He could have played Rotterdam, but he got a great feeling in the US last summer. Consequently, he's playing San Jose for the first time.

"I've been on tour a long time and I wanted to have a change in my schedule and coming here is a great opportunity for me because I played well last year and this is something new. I made a great choice. But if you saw my record playing Indian Wells, you would cry. (He's 0-5.) I don't remember if I won a set." (He's actually won two.)

Stepanek has to focus on holding serve against Roddick because he won’t get as many chances on his foe’s serve as he did against Ginepri. He’s cagey, but Roddick doesn’t mind be involved in cage matches.
The last time the played in Washington last summer, Roddick needed to go to 7-5 third to win the crown, which was the last time the American has won a title.

“There’s never a bad time to win a tournament,” Roddick said. “But he should have won our last one because I was a little smoke and mirror that time. I was holding a pair of twos and he didn’t know it. He’s capable of doing some good stuff and makes you beat him. But if play well, I have a decent shot at it.”

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