It’s safe to say Andy Roddick has never received a birthday surprise as lousy as this one.

On a night when he was to begin his quest for a second U.S. Open crown – a title that could have salvaged a season full of disappointments – Roddick was struck by a bolt if lightening from Luxembourg, a man who had a losing record this season and had won two Grand Slam matches in his life, one of them by default.

Gilles who? Muller is the name, and Roddick won’t – nor will anyone else who was a part of this shocking night, – forget it anytime soon. The final score: 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (1).

“I don’t really remember a loss where I’ve felt this bad afterwards,” Roddick said. “I probably had the best practice week I ever had.”

Muller knows something about upsets. Last year, he defeated Andre Agassi in the semifinals of a hard court tournament in Washington, D.C., and this year he outdid Rafael Nadal in the second round at Wimbledon. Since then, he reached the final of another hard court tournament in Los Angeles, losing to Agassi.

But this victory was like no other. The stage was bigger, the lights brighter, the crowd larger, the opponent more intimidating, and the fans more vocal. In the face of it all, Muller was dazzling. He Belted 65 winners, including 19 with a left-handed forehand that found lines all night long. He out-served Roddick, too, hitting 24 aces to Roddick’s 17. At the net, he was equally dominant, winning 29 of 39 points.

At the outset, the match did not look to be a contest at all. Roddick took a 5-2 lead, capitalizing on what would be his only break point of the night. But Muller broke back when Roddick served for the set at 5-3 and won the tiebreak.

The plan, as Muller described it later, was simple: pepper Roddick’s backhand and charge the net whenever possible. Roddick hit only two winners from his weaker wing, often finding the net. Muller also repeatedly sliced Roddick off court with his serve. By the third set, Roddick was returning second serves from 10 feet behind the baseline, yet the result was the same.

“I was also sometimes lucky,” Muller said.

Muller could not have planned to play as well as he did at key moments. He tossed aside two set points in the second set tiebreak, which included the best points of the match. He hit two forehand winners during that stretch, and served a key ace, too. The 22-year-old took a two-set lead on a backhand up the line with Roddick at the net.

Muller credited a calmness he said he recently discovered, a sense of relaxation that stood in for what he described as the “Crazy Muller,” the one who falls behind, becomes frustrated, and loses quickly.

“Maybe now I cannot say I’m the crazy one anymore,” he said. “I’m the calm one.”

What next for the man who modestly admitted to being the best tennis player in the history of Luxembourg, population 468,571? A second-round date with his doubles partner, American Robby Ginepri.

As for Roddick, he was a year older – now 23 – and miffed.

“I’m in a little bit of shock right now to be honest,” he said. “I’d give anything to go back four hours.”