Queen’s Title Number 2

Andy went into the Artois Championshups in 2004 as the defending champion and was the number one seed. First to fall in Andy’s path was Karol Kucera in straight sets.

Andy’s third round though was a tough encounter against Croatia’s Mario Ancic. Andy ‘gutsed’ out a victory 6-4 in the third set against the serve and volley specialist.

A straight forward match against Paradorn Srichaphan projected Andy into a semifinal match-up against former Queen’s and Wimbledon champion, Lleyton Hewitt. Andy’s third tie break victory of the week sealed the first set, and then Andy was able to get the break of serve in the second set to earn himself a place in the final.

In a repeat of the 2003 final, Andy faced Sebastien Grosjean of France. Andy kept his winning record in tie breaks though to help capture his second Queen’s title, with a 7-6(4), 6-4 win.

After the match, Andy commented, “It’s nice to win here again. Any time you win a tournament, overall it’s a good feeling.”

Trivia fact: During Andy’s stay in England in June of 2004, Andy appeared in popular British comic, The Beano! A cartoon likeness of Andy was pitched in a tennis match against Dennis the Menace!