Roddick foils French risk-taker in Tokyo

Tokyo: Second seed Andy Roddick overcame dangerous Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 7-6 to reach the quarter-finals of the Japan Open on Thursday.

The American took the first set relatively comfortably but saved a set point in the second with a backhand volley into the corner before closing out the match on a tiebreak."He`s always dangerous because he plays a pretty high-risk game," Roddick told reporters. "But I played the big points very well. When you`re playing average that`s encouraging." Roddick, who made the semi-finals in Tokyo on his only previous appearance in 2008, is playing his first tournament since crashing out of the U.S. Open in the second round.The world number 10 was out-aced six to five by Chardy but powered through the tiebreak 7-4 to win in a shade over an hour and a half. "I`m at a point where I`m not afraid to play long points any more," said Roddick. "I haven`t played much and I`ve struggled a little but it`s good not having to fight that mental battle." The big-serving American will face either French fifth seed Gael Monfils or Italy`s Andreas Seppi in the last eight. Bureau Report