Andy Takes Out Oudsema

In a bitter sweet victory, Andy defeated compatriot Scott Oudsema 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-2, but injured himself late in the third set while reaching for a ball. Although he continued to wince in pain during the service motion and power ground strokes, he fought through to finish the match. Andy noted, “I wasn’t going to give him the win,” but also admitted the pain was so intolerable at times he contemplated retiring. The crowd urged him on and erupted in applause when he walked of the court victorious.

Oudsema attributed Andy’s serve to what finished him off, “the ball comes pretty fast, and he puts them in corners as well, which is what I think makes his serve great.”

The two battled it out under the lights in Los Angeles in front of a packed house. Walking on court to Metallica’s Enter Sand Man, Andy tipped his hat backwards as the match began. With Andy in navy, and Scott in red, the All American showdown started on Scott’s serve. Oudsema matched Andy’s big serves with some guns of his own as the two held steady to 4-4. Oudsema noted in his the post match conference that the courts seemed to favor spin so he focused on switching up his shots. Andy retaliated with occasionally coming to net. The first set quickly advanced to a tie-break where one unfortunate double fault and a huge forehand from Scott put Andy on eset down 6-7 (3).

The crowd rallied for the number one seed and Andy brook early for a 3-1 lead. Andy exercised his Hawkeye challenges in the second set but was overruled. He quickly cruised to a 5-2 lead and almost took the set if it weren’t for a wickedly clever drop shot from Oudsema. Andy then served out the second set 6-3. With the momentum heavily in his favor, Andy immediately broke Scott in the third and held for 2-0. A shirt change later, Andy rallied for another break and took a convincing 5-1 lead. It was before the final break that Andy lunged for a ball, and in an awkward moment, he knew something was very wrong. Squatting facing the back wall, Andy assessed the situation. He walked it off, but had to noticeably alter his service motion to restrict motion in his side. A few more times he squatted down between points. Despite a restricted service motion and ground strokes, Andy fought to finish the set and match.

In his post match press conference, Andy was very open about his frustration and perspective of the “big picture,” as he referred to the remainder of the US Open Series. He was uncertain about his ability to continue in the Countrywide Classic quarterfinals, and plans for a night of “lots of ice and treatment.”

Check back to Ar.com for the latest from Los Angeles and more of Andy’s press Conference.