Roddick advances after Djokovic quits

With ice packs and massages failing to provide relief, third-ranked Djokovic looked increasingly woozy and had to give up while trailing 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 2-1, allowing No. 7 Andy Roddick to claim a spot in the semifinals, where he will face second-ranked Roger Federer.
 
After losing 15 pounds (7 kilograms) with a tough offseason workout regimen under new coach Larry Stefanki, Roddick looked quicker and his backhand stronger. The match left little doubt about the American's stamina on a day when temperatures hit 35 degrees Celsius with not a cloud in the sky.
"It's rewarding to come out on a day like today, when it's pretty hot, and feel pretty good. That's what you do the work for," Roddick said.
 
The heat was slowly rising but was not a major issue in the opening match, when Vera Zvonareva ran off 11 straight games in a 6-3, 6-0 win over 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli of France to reach the semifinals for the first time in 25 majors.
 
Seventh-ranked Zvonareva will meet fellow Russian Dinara Safina, who survived 11 double-faults and 36 unforced errors to beat Australia's Jelena Dokic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a match with 11 service breaks. It's the second straight Grand Slam semifinal for Safina - younger sister of 2005 men's champion Marat Safin - who lost to eventual champion Serena Williams at the U.S. Open.
 
Dokic's loss ended one of the tournament's most compelling stories: The former Wimbledon semifinalist was making her return to a Grand Slam after a three-year absence due to personal problems.
 
Safina apologized to the crowd for beating the local favorite, who advanced through a wild-card play tournament and was ranked No. 187.
 
"I hope that next time you'll be behind me," she said.
 
Dokic was happy with her performance.
 
"There's nothing to be disappointed about," Dokic said. "It's been a great start to 2009. I couldn't have asked for anything more."
 
The Australian Open has turned into a struggle for survival: Djokovic was the fourth player to quit in mid-match in two days.
 
The 21-year-old Serb lamented his previous match ended at 2:26 a.m. Monday, so he didn't get to sleep until 6 and was unable to practice. He said he requested another night match.
"Didn't really have time to recover," Djokovic said. "Conditions were extreme today. It did affect more on me than him, as you could see. But, you know, that was the situation. I just have to cope with it. Really tried my best, but sometimes you can't fight against your own body."
 
He said he was cramping and sore.
"Obviously, it's very disappointing way to finish my first Grand Slam of the year," he said. "But you have to take the best out of it and be positive. There is still a long season in front of me."
 
Djokovic also retired in his quarterfinal against Rafael Nadal with a back problem at the 2006 French Open and his semifinal against the Spaniard at Wimbledon in 2007.
 
"I was kind of just playing my side of the court and I didn't notice until the umpire said that they had someone coming out to see him," said Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion. "I feel bad for Novak right now. He worked so hard for this last year. To not get a fair chance to defend his title, that's too bad."