By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Tuesday's play

MASON - It's the summer of love for Andy Roddick. As in, his romance with Mandy Moore and his opponents' score.

As Roddick rolls on during one of the hottest hard-court stretches in years, he basks in the blissful ignorance of what he's doing.

"I don't know, dude," he said Tuesday night, when asked what has sparked his play. "I'm just trying to go with the flow. I'm not going to think it to death."

This was after Roddick blasted Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-2 in 53 minutes in a first-round Western & Southern Financial Group Masters match. Roddick has won 25 of 27 matches since hiring Brad Gilbert as his coach and is vying for his fifth title in eight events.

The big breakthrough was his first Tennis Masters Series crown, which came Sunday in Montreal. He previously had been to only one TMS final and still hasn't reached a Grand Slam final.

Roddick didn't feel the need, though, to reflect on Sunday as a significant step.

"I haven't had much time to think it over," he said. "As soon as it was over, I came here. Now I'm focused on this week."

The downside of such prolonged success would seem to be fatigue. It's difficult to win two TMS events back to back. It has happened just eight times since TMS events began in 1990, and only once the past four years - by Andre Agassi at Indian Wells and Miami in 2001.

Yet Roddick insists he feels great. Meanwhile, his ranking has steadily risen, to a high of No. 4 this week. Can Roddick see the top now?

"Yeah. It's three spots away," he said. "I was happy to get to (No.) 4 because Brad, that was what he had on me - 'Yeah, yeah, I was 4 in the world, you're only 5.' So he's lost that line this week."

The next goal would seem to be a Grand Slam triumph.

"I feel my time will come at a Slam," he said. "I'm not going to try to rush it. (The U.S. Open) is two weeks away. I can't do anything about it right now."

OK, so what's more urgent? Well, spending time with Moore, and arranging that skydiving jump with Gilbert, who promised to accompany Roddick on a jump if he won at Montreal.

"Hey, I've got a day match tomorrow," he said of his match against Ivan Ljubicic today. "Hmm. Look for us in the sky tomorrow afternoon."

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