Roddick Is 2nd-Round Wimbledon Casualty

Third-Seeded Sharapova Also Ousted

WIMBLEDON, England, June 26 -- Five years removed from winning the 2003 U.S. Open, Andy Roddick is acutely aware of the blank on his résumé where subsequent Grand Slam titles were projected to accumulate.

In the years that followed, Roddick ascended to the world's No. 1 ranking, led the United States to a Davis Cup title and amassed more than $13 million in winnings. But his dream of winning a second Grand Slam has remained just that.

Thursday at Wimbledon, Roddick's latest quest to win the grass-court classic was snuffed out at its earliest stage yet. Despite blasting 27 aces, the sixth-seeded Roddick flubbed one critical point after another and fell to Janko Tipsarevic, 6-7 (7-5), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), in the second round.

Compounding woes for fans of American tennis, Roddick's defeat was preceded by that of ninth-seeded James Blake, who also played below expectations for a top 10 seed and, as a result, was sent packing by Germany's Rainer Schuettler, 6-3, 6-7 (10-8), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

The pair of second-round upsets leaves only one American man standing in Wimbledon's third round. That's the worst showing by the country in the Wimbledon men's draw in the history of the open era, which dates from 1968.

Moreover, the sole man remaining -- 102nd-ranked Bobby Reynolds -- already has overachieved. A former college standout at Vanderbilt, the 26-year-old Reynolds has played five seasons on the pro tour without winning a tournament.

Roddick and Blake weren't the only high-profile players to tumble under beautiful blue skies at the All England club on Thursday.

Maria Sharapova, who captured hearts by winning Wimbledon as an awestruck teen in 2004, was upset by a fellow Russian with dreams every bit as grand, 154th-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva. Like Tipsarevic, Kudryavtseva engineered her improbable, 6-2, 6-4 victory by capitalizing on an error-plagued performance by a former world No. 1.

One of 18 Russian women in the 128-player draw, Kudryavtseva had never won a match at Wimbledon before this week. And she certainly had never beaten Sharapova, 21, who heralded her return to form by winning the Australian Open in January.

Kudryavtseva had plenty of motivation to come out blazing no matter what the British oddsmakers said about her chances, having been dismantled by Sharapova, 6-1, 6-4, in their only previous meeting. She relished the prospect of evening the score, not to mention toppling a former Wimbledon champion and the tournament's third seed. There was another issue afoot, Kudryavtseva confessed in her post-match interview.

"I don't like her outfit," she said, smiling.

Sharapova, of course, is well known for the fashion statements she makes on court, collaborating with Nike designers on specially crafted ensembles to unveil at Grand Slams. Kudryavtseva said she found Sharapova's all-white tuxedo-inspired shorts set "a little too much."

Asked if she thought her critique might hurt Sharapova's feelings, Kudryavtseva laughed and said: "If I'm not afraid to go play her and she's world number three, I'm not afraid she's going to catch me in the dressing room and say: 'You know what, you said you don't like my outfit. You were wrong!' "

The 20-year-old Kudryavtseva brandished her opinions with the same abandon that she brandished her forehand on court, chiding critics who say that women's tennis is predictable.

"We can do it all!" she proclaimed. "We're strong. Don't listen to them."

Kudryavtseva told herself she would win the match before walking on court. And when Sharapova double-faulted three times in a single game, the young challenger pounced, notching the first of her five service breaks.

"I realized then she was not at her best," Kudryavtseva said.

From start to finish, Sharapova seemed rattled by the swirling winds and frustrated by her unreliable serve. But she kept hitting with aggression, missing serves and sidelines by feet, in some cases, rather than inches.

"She just did everything better than I did," Sharapova said afterward. "She hit the ball harder. She served and returned better. She went for her shots. I was just pretty tentative."

Roddick's self-critique was far more harsh.

"Any chance I had, I pretty much choked it," he said. "I could sit here and try to dance around it all night. But you guys watched it. It was what it was. It's like you want something so bad you almost squeeze so tight."

The final statistics showed that Roddick and Tipsarevic were almost dead even in total points won, with the Serb winning 146 to Roddick's 144. Where Roddick fell short was when it mattered most. Tipsarevic converted both of the break points he managed against Roddick's vaunted serve, among the more intimidating in the game. Roddick, by contrast, was 0 for 8 on his break-point chances.

"There's no excuse," Roddick said. "If I consider myself a top player, you make those. You make those in your sleep. I not only didn't make them, there was nothing even positive in the misses. It was just the big moments, I blinked."