Andy Roddick’s decision to take some risks paid off on Friday as the American rallied to beat Spain’s Rafael Nadal and book a clash with giant-killing Tomas Berdych in the final of the Miami ATP Masters 1000.
Roddick engineered a turnaround to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 over world No. 4 Nadal, who was the highest seed left in the draw.
Berdych, who saved a match point en route to a stunning upset of world No. 1 Roger Federer in the fourth round, dismantled fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling 6-2, 6-2.
PHOTO: AFP
Berdych, who said he wanted to be “aggressive but with lots of control” was able to do just that. He broke Soderling four times and faced only one break point himself.
After being pushed around in the first set by Nadal, who will still return to No. 3 in the world tomorrow, Roddick realized he would have to do more.
Roddick, who finished with 15 aces, began moving to the net with more aggression — a tactic that Nadal admitted caught him by surprise.
Nadal had earned the break he needed in the opening set in the third game, saved a break point himself in the next then dominated Roddick in the rallies to pocket the set.
But Roddick wouldn’t be broken again. He piled the pressure on and turned the tide late in the second set, breaking Nadal to love to lead 5-3 then serving out with a love game capped by a 230kph service winner.
NO HEADWAY
In the third, Nadal could make no headway against Roddick’s serve. He couldn’t convert his one chance to break in the second game, so that Roddick’s break in the next game proved key.
Roddick, the sixth seed, returns to the final here for the first time since he won the title in 2004.
Berdych reached the second prestigious Masters 1000 final of his career, after winning the Paris title in 2005.
Now he has a chance to become the first Miami men’s champion not ranked in the top 10 since Jim Courier in 1991.
“It is nice to take a match like that. I was playing really well, not too long on the court,” Berdych said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan and China’s Zheng Jie were eliminated from the women’s doubles semi-finals by Nadia Petrova of Russia and Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-1, 7-5.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
■ELIN WOODS OBSERVES
AFP, MIAMI
Tiger Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, and the couple’s son, Charlie, took in some tennis on Friday, watching Andy Roddick down Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the Miami Masters.
Woods has attended the tournament in the past to root for his pal, Roger Federer.
This year, however, top-ranked Federer lost in the fourth round and Woods has been busy polishing his game for next week’s Masters which will be his first tournament since the golf superstar was engulfed in a sex scandal that led to eventual confessions of serial adultery.
Woods’ wife and one-year-old son arrived shortly after the start of Friday’s match. She sat under an awning in club seats near the players’ lounge, Charlie standing on her lap.
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