NEW YORK - Andy Roddick stood in the corner of Arthur Ashe Stadium bouncing on his toes, smacking the strings of his racket and waving his arms at the crowd to cheer even louder.

Time was running out, and he was looking for something - anything - to give him the boost he so desperately needed. Try as they might, though, the fans couldn't give Roddick something he didn't have.

Lacking his usual passion and energy, Roddick was swept out of the U.S. Open 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (1) on Tuesday night by a little-known guy from little Luxembourg. When he slammed a two-fisted backhand into the net to end the match, Roddick bowed his head and walked slowly toward Gilles Muller.

"I just felt like the whole time, I was trying to find something as opposed to just having it," Roddick said, still looking dazed an hour after the match ended. "Twenty-four hours ago, I was really optimistic about my prospects here. I'm in a little bit of shock right now, to be honest.

"I'd give anything to go back four hours right now."

Heaping insult onto the sting of the loss, it was Roddick's 23rd birthday Tuesday.

"I don't really remember a loss where I've, umm, felt this bad afterward," he said.

He probably can't remember a match he played this uninspired, either.

Roddick, a winner here only two years ago, looked as if he was going to cruise to an easy victory early. He was up 5-2 in the first set, and had a chance to serve it out at 5-3. Instead, Muller broke him, then held his own serve.

Suddenly, it was Roddick on the defensive against the left-hander.

"Had I rolled through that one 6-3, served it out, who knows?" Roddick said. "I can blame myself because I was in control and then I let him back in. To his credit, after that he really raised his level and played a good match.

"Bottom line, he stepped up and took the points and I didn't."

It was the first time Roddick had gone out in the first round since his Open debut in 2000, and it was quite a contrast to the other big names Tuesday. No. 1 Roger Federer rolled through a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 rout of Czech newcomer Ivo Minar in 61 minutes, and American James Blake upset No. 28 Greg Rusedski, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-3.

Lindsay Davenport, No. 2 in the women's draw, won in straight sets as did No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo, No. 6 Elena Dementieva and French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Roddick was seeded fourth and is one of the world's best on hard courts. His 30-8 record on the surface this season is second only to Federer, and he's won 11 of his 19 career titles on hard courts.

Muller, meanwhile, is ranked 68th, playing in his first Open and can, by his own admission, get a little "crazy" during matches. He beat French Open champ Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon and reached the finals at a tournament in Los Angeles last month, only to turn around and lose in the quarterfinals in Washington three weeks ago.

But he never got flustered against Roddick.

"For sure, he's like a big star," Muller said. "But for me, it's just another player. Of course he's one of the best players in the world, but he's a human being. I'm not looking different at him than to other players."

Muller's play wasn't spectacular, but he showed a nice touch with his angled groundstrokes and an uncanny ability to place the ball. Time and again, Roddick lunged for balls only to watch helplessly as they sailed by.

Muller also has surprising deftness. During the second set, he drew Roddick up close to the net with a drop shot, then beat him with a beautiful passing shot that landed about 15 feet behind the American.

In the final set, he pinned Roddick back on the baseline and then, playing close to the net, hit a soft pass that kissed the top of net. Roddick hustled forward, but never had a chance.

Muller doesn't have Roddick's blazing serve, but it didn't matter. Roddick had trouble the entire night getting a read on the left-hander, and Muller had 24 aces to Roddick's 17. He also had a 65-39 advantage on winners - and 33-15 on unforced errors.

"I don't think I felt like I was playing unbelievable (but) I was playing good," Muller said. "I took some risks, and it went for me."

And nothing went for Roddick.

American Express plastered Roddick's face all over New York in a new ad campaign that asks if anyone has seen the player's mojo. Roddick must have been asking himself the same thing Tuesday. He tried repeatedly to pump himself up, muttering, screaming while he tugged on the bill of his hat, and gnawing on a towel between changeovers. He even slammed his racket to the ground at one point.

The fans did their best to help, too. Though appreciative of Muller's effort, there were frequent calls of, "Come on, Andy!" and "Let's go, Roddick!"

But nothing worked. So while Muller stood on the court after the match giddily clapping his hand against his racket, Roddick picked up his bag and walked grimly off the court.

"I've never felt better going into a Slam than I did here," Roddick said. "This has totally blindsided me."