By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MASON - Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish each charged the net, trading lightning volleys until Fish hit one that clipped the top of the net and fell backward. As the crowd roared about the rally, Fish extended his hand across the net and slapped hands with his buddy.

That this happened during a critical second-set tiebreaker of perhaps the best championship match of the year was immaterial. At heart, these were two friends, battling just like they had on Roddick's backyard court a few years ago.

"It's hard to try to kick someone's (rear) who you like so much," Roddick said.

Still, before they greeted each other at match's end Sunday with an embrace, Roddick and Fish managed to wage an intense and compelling battle for the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters crown. Roddick, the world's hottest player, would save two match points before finally prevailing 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) in the longest title match here in 43 years.

That meant a crushing end to an unlikely run by the unseeded Fish, who was pursuing his first ATP Tour title. After Roddick greeted him at the net by saying, "I'm so proud of you," Fish retreated to his chair and sobbed into a towel.

"It's tough," Roddick said. "I felt for him. To know someone pretty well and kind of know what they're thinking and what they're going through, it sucked, I guess."

Fish was a boarder in Roddick's house for a year of high school in Boca Raton, Fla.

Fish slammed 48 winners and didn't lose his serve Sunday, but was the hard-luck loser of two tiebreaks. He seemed a different player than the one blitzed 6-1, 6-4 in 47 minutes by Roddick two weeks ago in the quarterfinals in Washington, D.C.

"I kept trying to think about when we were practicing back when we were younger, and it was no different, you know, just on a bigger stage," Fish said. "I was just trying to win a match."

Roddick, who won the Tennis Masters Series Canada title last week in Montreal, was playing his 12th match in 13 days and admitted to some fatigue. He didn't play well early, but rallied to total 36 winners and 12 aces.

It's hard right now to break Roddick's will. He broke racket strings, blew out a couple of shoes and screamed at himself often early in the match Sunday, but still managed to collect himself.

Serving at 4-5 in the final set, Roddick faced match point but struck a service winner. Fish won the next point to set up another match point, but Roddick fired a 116-mph ace.

He would hold serve, then prevail in another tiebreak. Roddick has won 11 of his last 12 breakers.

"I don't think I'd be winning as many matches if I wasn't confident," he said.

Roddick, the seventh seed here, is 30-2 since joining forces with new coach Brad Gilbert, and 20-1 during the North American summer hard-court season. He has won three titles the past four weeks, five this year - tying Roger Federer for most on the tour - and 10 in his young career.

At 20, Roddick is the youngest champion here since a 17-year-old Boris Becker won in 1985.

Roddick is ranked fourth in the world. Fish, 21, will jump his ranking from No. 41 to either 24 or 25 today, but that was little consolation for the defeat.

"In a couple of days or whatever, I'm sure I'll say it was a great tournament," Fish said. "But I'll always . . . say, 'What if? What if I could have won one of those (match) points?' "

Fish, who wasn't able even to get out of the qualifier here the past two years, had played the finest tennis of his life. He won his last 74 service games of the week, saving 20 break points during that stretch.

After being broken early in the first set, Roddick saved five break points of his own Sunday.

In the final tiebreak, at 2-2, Roddick won a key point on Fish's serve with a forehand winner. That was the only point won against serve in the tiebreak.

Don't get the idea that these guys have ever played just for fun. Despite their mutual admiration, they're very competitive.

"If we wanted to have a good time, we'd go to the movies, not beat each other's brains in," Roddick said.

Super Summer

Here's a look at Andy Roddick's results on the summer North American hard-court swing:

Record: 20-1

Titles: Three (Indianapolis, Montreal, Cincinnati)

Service games won: 94.3 percent (216 of 229)

Tiebreaker record: 11-2

ATP Champions Race position: No. 1

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E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com