Passing on an Olympic spot to work on his hardcourt game prior to the U.S. Open, Andy Roddick ranked number 9 was by far and away the favorite in the finals at the Country Wide Classic against Juan Martin Del Potro. But the 19-year-old Argentine ranked 24 in the world dealt Roddick a major blow beating him 6-1, 7-6 in order to claim his third consecutive ATP trophy.

Leading up to the finals, Roddick had played incredible tennis. As usual, Roddick’s serve had been his ace in the hole; he had not dropped serve once in the tournament. Yet, today, Roddick’s rocket made no impression on his opponent. At 6 feet 6 inches, Del Potro had comfortably returned Roddick’s bullets with interest particularly his second serve. In the first set, Roddick was broken three times. Andy had lower back problems before coming on court and had to get treatment during the match, but these were probably exacerbated by his opponent’s remarkable performance.

Nevertheless fighting to pull through, Roddick had a better showing in the second set. Andy tried to mix it up with a bit of serve and volleying and pressured Del Potro’s forehand which is his weaker side, but the teenager did not crack. Del Potro’s baseline game was solid. Roddick’s best chance came in the third game when he went ahead love-30, but Del Potro managed to prevail. The set went to a tiebreak which the Argentine easily won.

Prior to this win, Del Potro had a 1-13 lifetime record against top ten players. To celebrate his first hardcourt title, Del Potro will be further rewarded with a ranking inside the top twenty. Undoubtedly, this is a mental boost for the Argentine as he heads to the Legg Mason Classic this upcoming week where he will attempt to keep his 15 match winning streak alive.