sportsmanship is for losers...

ROME -- Though the storied pines of Rome, fluffy and billowing, have been sentinels at a tennis pit called Il Foro Italico for seven decades, they may never have overseen such a bizarre reversal of fortune as overtook Andy Roddick in the gloaming yesterday.

For five seconds, Roddick thought he'd won his way into the quarterfinals of the Italian Open, ever a hazardous venture on European dirt for American guys.

"Yeah, for five seconds I was the winner," shrugged top-seeded Roddick, "but . . ."

Hearing Murphy declare, "Game, set, and . . ." Roddick was walking toward the net to shake the hand of the seemingly vanquished Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco.

Verdasco, a gangling 21-year-old lefthander, had double-faulted on match point. Or had he? The outstretched arm of the line judge signaled the ball wide of the center line at 3-5, 0-40. Roddick concurred, pointing toward the landing spot, and Murphy began his conclusive statement.

"Game, set, . . . but I never got to `match,' " he said. "Because Andy got to the mark and said the ball was good, and conceded the point to Verdasco."

What price, sportsmanship?

Answer: at least $22,000 in prize money, and a shot at the title.

The five seconds turned into another hour, as the match turned in Verdasco's direction: 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.