Queens Final To Be A Repeat Of 2003

It will be a déjà vu for fans attending the final of the Stella Artois Championships in London tomorrow as top seed and defending champion Andy Roddick and No. 5 seed Sebastian Grojean play for the title in a rematch of last year’s final.

Today Roddick defeated former rival and No. 6 seed Lleyton Hewitt, a three-time champion at Stella Artois, in straight sets 7-6 (8), 6-3 in a tidy 1 hour 15 minutes.

Roddick recorded his first victory over Hewitt in four attempts, ending the talented Australian’s impressive run and his bid for a record-tying fourth Stella Artois title.

The No. 1 American will face Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean, who pulled out a 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over qualifier Hyung-Taik Lee of Korea.

In the 2003 final, Roddick needed only 59 minutes to dismiss Grosjean 6-3, 6-3, the shortest final in the tournament’s history, to claim his first grass court title, the beginning of a string of summer victories he registered after hiring current coach Brad Gilbert.

The tournament also marks a record-setting trend for Roddick who tied the record for the world’s fastest serve last year when he clocked a 149 mph (239.8 kph) serve against Andre Agassi in last year’s semifinals.

Roddick bettered the record earlier this week, breaking his own personal best by serving a record-shattering 153 mph (245.2 kph) ace during his match against Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan.