Andy Roddick: One of the best match winners ever?

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Andy Roddick beat up-and-coming Canadian sensation Milos Raonic, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (11), 7-5, to win the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships on Sunday in Memphis, Tenn.

If this isn’t the biggest news around, it is worth noting that this is career title No. 30 for Roddick, 28. Roddick’s match point was stunning, a diving winner that left one of his elbows bloodied.

It has been a fabulous couple of weeks for Raonic, a 6-foot-5, 20-year-old Canadian who gained notice for making it through qualifying and getting to the fourth round of the Australian Open and then winning his first ATP Tour event in San Jose last week.

After his showing in Memphis, Raonic, who set a tournament record with 129 aces, is projected to reach No. 37 in the ATP computer rankings when they are released Monday. That will make him the highest-ranked Canadian man since Greg Rusedski was No. 41 in June 1994.

So when someone asks where the next great young American tennis player is coming from, you can answer, ‘You mean North American, right?’

Roddick has won at least one title for 11 years in a row. Not a big deal? Among active players, only Roger Federer can make that claim. So that means Roddick is still the best U.S. player, and by the looks of the effort on that match-point winner, he isn’t ready to step aside yet.

-- Diane Pucin