Roddick Reaches 50th Final

© Ron AngleJuan Martin Del Potro has reached two semi-finals in the past two weeks.

Top seed Andy Roddick claimed his first win in four career meetings against Juan Martin del Potro in the Memphis semi-finals Saturday to advance to his 50th tour-level final. Roddick now must halt the eight-match winning streak of prodigious Canadian talent Milos Raonic if he is to win his third title in his fifth appearance in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships final, and the 30th title of his career.

Roddick said: “This is probably the best match I’ve played this year including Australia. I played one bad game but besides that I was making his holds tough ones and I played pretty good defence, and attacked when I had to.

“I played pretty smart and mixed up some serve and volley and I didn’t let him get any rhythm, if he sets up for enough balls and gets some rhythm he can hit it probably harder than anybody. I was happy with the way I played today.”

Del Potro, who had not dropped serve en route to his second semi-final in two weeks, was broken by Roddick in the second game of the match as the American raced to a 3-0 lead after just eight minutes. Del Potro, who had his right thigh strapped after the fifth game, broke Roddick at the start of the second set but the 2003 US Open champion broke back in the next game and broke a second time later in the set en route to a 6-3, 6-4 win.

Del Potro said: “Andy was really difficult to play today. He played really well, served really well and I think he played much better than me on the important moments especially on the break points.

“Of course I’m a little sad but I have the next tournament in two days and hopefully I can be in good shape like I was in San Jose and still win matches.”

Roddick improved to a 33-7 record in Memphis, where he won the title in 2009 and 2002. He finished runner-up in 2007 and 2003.

Del Potro and Roddick are both playing next week in Delray Beach.

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