Finally. Yesterday afternoon, on the finely manicured grass courts of Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Andy Roddick played tennis for the first time all year. Not the tentative, 10-feet behind the baseline, heavy topspin tennis that one might expect from an undersized junior player, but muscular, aggressive tennis befitting a man who stands 6-foot-2, weighs 190 pounds, and serves better than anyone in the game.

The 23-year-old American overcame a slow start to post a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Fernando Gonzalez in the decisive match of a 3-2 victory over Chile (after Roddick’s clincher, James Blake lost a meaningless match to Paul Capdeville). The win propelled the United States into the Davis Cup semifinals against Russia in September. When it was all over, Roddick twirled in the air, flagpole in hand, and then began circling the stadium.

Roddick served huge and struck powerful forehands, something that has been largely missing from his arsenal this year. For the most part, he stayed close to the baseline and looked to approach the net. He volleyed reasonably well, including two nifty dives. And, most encouraging of all, he tried to do something with his service returns, rather than retreating behind the baseline and simply pushing them back into play. His final stats showed the payoff for this effort: Roddick won 35% of his total return points and 63% of points on Gonzalez’s second serve. Roddick rarely posts such numbers against someone who serves as well as Gonzalez. For the year, he has won 46% of points on his opponent’s second serve (Roger Federer, the yardstick by which all other men are measured, wins 54%).

Though this was a home match for the Americans, a large and vocal contingent of Chilean fans kept things from becoming too one-sided. Fans yelled “Out!” in the middle of points, infuriating Roddick. A few questionable line calls sent Gonzalez and his team captain, Hans Gildemeister, into a tizzy. Gildemeister was so distraught at times that he bounded from his seat and stood up in the middle of points. Roddick yelled at him, too.

Gonzalez was not to be outdone, however: After he dropped the third set, he smashed his racket against the net post. The frame broke off and he was left holding its handle. In all, it was the sort of day that makes one wonder why the larger television networks that normally broadcast tennis, say ESPN or CBS, would ever consider giving up the volatile, partisan spectacle that is the Davis Cup (this year the spoils have been left for the Outdoor Life Network).

Early on, Gonzalez looked like he might pick up right where he left off on Friday, when he dumped Blake in five sets after falling behind by two sets and a break in the third. He broke Roddick in the third game by walloping a first serve with his forehand into the opposite corner for a clean winner, and he did not face a break point until late in the second set.

It was in the last game of the second set that the match began to turn in Roddick’s favor. He opened the game with an opposite-court backhand return that he followed to the net, finishing the point with a backhand volley (no, we are not making this up). He caught a break on the next point when a linesman initially signaled a Gonzalez forehand good but quickly changed the call to out. Gonzalez won the next point after a tirade, but missed a routine volley to fall behind 15-40. Roddick had his first two break points of the day, and he cashed in on the second one.

At times it seemed as if Dean Goldfine, Roddick’s former coach and the captain of this team while Patrick McEnroe and his wife await the birth of their first child, had snuck an imposter onto the court. Andy Roddick does not hit backhand winners down the line, but whoever it was that played Gonzalez yesterday smacked a beauty in the second game of the third set to set up a break point. He finished the game with a volley winner. Gonzalez would break back later in the set, but Roddick pulled ahead for good after another questionable line call gave him break point. The fourth set was a breeze, as Gonzalez’s right leg stiffened up and his game followed suit.

Though most South American players have a reputation as clay court specialists, Gonzalez is no slouch on grass. He hits the ball as hard, and perhaps harder, than anyone on tour, and his serve is powerful and effective. At Wimbledon last year, he reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to Federer, the eventual champion. This was no easy match for Roddick, and he rose to the occasion. If only he had played as aggressively – and as confidently – on hard courts earlier this year. At least there is some hope, at last, that he will straighten himself out before Wimbledon and the summer hard court season.

As for team U.S.A., the next test will be its toughest yet: Russia in Russia. Marat Safin is playing again, and he, Nikolay Davydenko, and Dimtry Tursunov all won this weekend on the road in a 4-1 victory over France. Tursunov sealed the match with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5 victory over French no. 1 Richard Gasquet. American twins Bob and Mike Bryan are a lock for a point against anyone, but in singles the Russians have more depth than the Americans (and they can play better on clay, too). If the Americans can win that one, they will face the winner of Australia and Argentina. Maybe by then Roddick will be playing aggressive all the time, no matter the surface.

tperrotta@nysun.com