Andy Roddick makes US Open his swan song

 As Andy Roddick announced his planned retirement from tennis, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made a very unplanned departure at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

After three days of the top players winning decisively, fifth-seeded Tsonga was upset by Martin Klizan of Slovakia in the second round in the first shock of this year's Open.

The 52nd-ranked Klizan won 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Roddick, on his 30th birthday, announced this tournament will be his last, saying he no longer felt the drive to compete at the highest level and didn't want his career to peter out.

"I don't know that I'm healthy enough or committed enough to go another year," Roddick said. "I've always wanted to, in a perfect world, finish at this event. I have a lot of family and friends here. I've thought all year that I would know when I got to this tournament. When I was playing my first round, I knew."

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Roddick, a former No. 1 ranked player, is currently No. 20 in the world. He has one Grand Slam victory, the US Open in 2003. He played in four Grand Slam finals, losing to Roger Federer in each.

On Thursday, Roger Federer breezed past 83rd-ranked Bjorn Phau of Germany 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, then paid tribute to Roddick's contribution to tennis.

"I've had some great battles with him for a long, long time," Federer said. "The Wimbledon finals come to mind, the ones we played together. He's a great, great competitor and a great champion, really."

Serena Williams, after beating Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6-2, 6-4 Thursday, said she knew Roddicks retirement was coming.

"He told me a while ago — last year — that this would be it," she said. "We were talking about it. I was just thinking, 'Change your mind, Andy. Change your mind.' But I guess he didn't."

Kim Clijsters also says that the US Open will be her last professional tennis tournament. She lossed her singles match Wednesday, and has only the doubles competition left before her retirement. She won four Grand Slam titles.

"It's been an incredible journey," Clijsters said, "and a lot of dreams for me have come true because of tennis."

Venus Williams came within two points of winning Thursday, but dropped five of the last six games and ended up exiting early at a tournament she's won twice, beaten 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 by sixth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany in a nearly 3-hour match.

Asked after the match if she's ready to join Andy Roddick in retirement, Williams replied: "No, because if I could have made two more shots, I probably could have won that match. There's a big difference for me because I'm beating myself. I'm not getting destroyed out there. ... If I was out there and people were killing me, maybe it's time to hang it up."

Before Tsonga's loss, top-five seeds on the men's and women's sides had played 14 matches — and won all 14 in straight sets.

Tsonga was the runner-up at the 2008 Australian Open and a semifinalist at Wimbledon this year. He had reached at least the third round in 18 straight Grand Slam trips.

"Today I was not in a good shape," he said. "I didn't play good tennis. It seemed like I couldn't hit the ball enough hard to put my opponent out of position. I don't really know why it was like this today, but sometimes it's happen with me."

The 23-year-old Klizan, meanwhile, had failed to make it past the second round in three previous Grand Slam appearances. He had never defeated an opponent ranked better than No. 49.

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