Top seed Andy Roddick out-muscled Tomas Berdych 7-6 7-6 in a tight contest to earn a place in the final four of the $530,000 San Jose Open on Friday. The world number seven, who is chasing a fourth title at the hardcourt tournament, set up a semi-final against compatriot Sam Querrey, who dispatched another American, Michael Russell, 6-4 6-3 in their quarter-final.
Roddick and the fifth seeded Berdych traded service bombs and big forehands but the Czech missed two key forehands in tiebreakers - one at set point to lose the first 7-5, the second at 5-5 in the second set tiebreaker. Roddick clinched the latter 7-5 with a 141-mph (227 kph) service winner to move to within two victories of matching his 2004, 2005 and 2008 triumphs in San Jose.
The two Americans were joined in the semi-finals by Spanish second seed Fernando Verdasco, who punched his way past Lithuanian teenager Ricardas Berankis 6-3 7-6. Verdasco is struggling with a sciatic nerve injury but that did not stop him from serving big and unleashing his highly-effective forehand.
The Spaniard overcame the former junior world number one in the tiebreaker 7-5 when he pounded a service winner and then watched the Lithuanian err on a forehand. "I had never seen him play before and he served well, played close to the lines and had a good forehand and backhand," Verdasco said. "I didn't see any weaknesses."