Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal stepped up their bids for their first ATP titles of the year with straight set victories on Thursday at the Pacific Life Open.
Roddick defeated Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (10/8) winning the battle of big servers to move to the semi-finals where he will play Nadal, who overpowered Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 7-5 in an earlier match.
Roddick has not lost a set in the US$5.3 million hardcourt tournament as he fired eight aces and 32 winners in front of a crowd of about 11,000 at the main Indian Wells Tennis Garden stadium on Thursday.
"It was a little more exciting in those tie breaks than I wanted," Roddick said. "I kept thinking I had him and then he came up with those great shots."
Nadal and Roddick have not played since the 2004 Davis Cup final, where Nadal avenged a loss to Roddick in the US Open two months earlier.
"We played in 2004 but he wasn't the Nadal that he is now," Roddick said.
The 24-year-old US and former world number one Roddick is seeking his 22nd career singles title.
Ljubicic fought off three match points in a thrilling second set tiebreak before Roddick clinched the victory on the fourth match point when the Croatian's final shot sailed wide.
"I didn't convert all the chances I had but luckily I was able to squeak through on the breakers," Roddick said.
Nadal and Roddick are trying to take advantage of the early elimination of Swiss superstar Roger Federer, who lost in the second round.
"I feel great," the two-time defending French Open champ Nadal said. "I feel so much better than the last months right now.
In the women's side of the draw, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova overcame an opening-set loss and a problematic toe to post a victory over Nicole Vaidisova in the quarter-finals.
Kuznetsova, who recently regained her career-high world No 4 ranking after a successful swing through the Middle East tournaments, defeated 17-year-old Czech Vaidisova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
"She played a good match and it was very tough out there," said Kuznetsova, who is seeded second in Indian Wells.
Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion, also moves to the semi-finals where she will play Sybille Bammer.
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