Shanghai - Fourth seed Andy Roddick fell victim to a knee injury after just over half an hour on court as the American was forced to quit his second-round match leading 4-3 at the Shanghai Masters Tuesday against Swiss Stan Wawrinka. Roddick, the fourth seed, stands next in line for a possible qualifying place into the eight-man season-ending event next month in London.
Midway through the eighth game, the America seemed to over-extend or pop his knee, a problem which sent him immediately to the sidelines for a look by the trainer and a doctor.
After a few moments of treatment, the three-time Wimbledon finalist gave up to spare any further investment in a lost cause. His injury was later termed "left knee pain" by the ATP.
"I don't know what's going on," he said. "I can't self-diagnose. I remember pushing off and then being treated. I was advised not to risk it.
"The pain is at the back of the knee, and it's enough to make me stop a tennis match. My concern now is to find out what we are dealing with."
The hard luck followed a semi-final pullout at Queen's club, London, in the weeks before Wimbledon after damaging an ankle against James Blake.
Roddick also lost to John Isner in the US Open third round and failed to win a match last week in Beijing as holder at that event.
Three other seeds moved through to the third round after byes as Russian number six Nikolay Davydenko beat compatriot Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 6-2.
Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, seeded tenth, beat Brazilian Tomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-4 while 13th seed Radek Stepanek stopped German Andreas Beck 7-5, 6-4.
German Tommy Haas played an Asian match for the first time in more than two years, defeating compatriot Benjamin Becker 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to advance to the second round. Haas last played in the region in Bangkok in September, 2007.
The 18th-ranked German, competing for the first time since exiting the US Open in the third round to Fernando Verdasco, was out-aced by Becker 13 to 11 but saved the only break point the faced in a tight contest.
French Open finalist Robin Soderling, the ninth-seeded Swede, advanced over Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-4 while Lleyton Hewitt also made a delayed return to China's surging commercial capital.
Hewitt, who defeated Isner 6-2, 6-4, last played in the city in 2002, when he stood number one and claimed the title at the year-end Masters Cup.
The number 23, who had dropped from the Top 100 early in the season as he recovered from August hip surgery, is devoting all of his energies to his Australian Open appearance in January.
"This time of year obviously I have got no points to defend. And in January I have basically got hardly any points to defend, as well.
"I have gotten better as the year has gone on. My hip's got a lot stronger and better as well, and that makes life a lot easier on the court."
