02/29/2000
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Michael Chang was ousted from the Citrix Championships. And for many fans that wasn't the upset they were looking for.

Chang, the seventh-seeded player, lost 7-6 (6), 6-4 to Andrew Ilie of Australia on Monday.

That match removed a headline attraction from the tournament. So did the one featuring Andy Roddick, a local favorite making his professional debut.

Before a standing room only crowd on a side court, he lost 7-6 (6), 7-5 to Italy's Laurence Tieleman.

The 17-year-old player from Boca Raton became the first American in 41 years to win the boys' singles title in the Australian Open. He has also won the prestigious Orange Bowl tournament and is the world's No. 2 ranked junior.

Chang recalled a painful lesson from his first match against a pro.

"After the match, I had body cramps for two hours," he said. "The trainer asked, `What did you have last night?' I said I had Burger King. He said, `Well that's rule No. 1."'

Wearing an ATP Tour baseball cap backward and frequently chatting with himself and fans, Roddick proved he could hold his own at times.

"It was fun," he said. "I had good chances that I'd like to have back. The hardest part is when you think you have a winner and they come up with something better, and there's nothing you can do about it. I thought I played pretty well."

Paul Goldstein of Rockville, Md., advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Romania's Andrei Pavel. Goldstein, probably more than any other player currently on the tour, could relate to what Roddick was going through.

"I was playing doubles next to Andy and I could tell when he was winning the points, just because people were going nuts," Goldstein said. "It gives you a lot of energy. It actually took me like four years to win a match in D.C. and learn how to channel that positive energy into some good tennis.

"It's such a positive experience. I wish it happened more often because in all those other sports it happens all the time."