February 19, 2006	Sunday	Muharram 20, 1427

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SAN JOSE (California), Feb 18: Top-seeded Andy Roddick remained on course for a “three-peat” at this ATP hardcourt tournament on Friday as he rolled into the semifinals with a straight-set win over Bjorn Phau.

Roddick defeated the German 6-3, 6-2 to book his place in the final four, where he was joined by third-seeded Australian Lleyton Hewitt, American Vince Spade and Briton Andy Murray.

Roddick won four of the final five games in the first set, closing the deal with an overhead smash. He faced little opposition thereafter, cruising to his 14th straight triumph at the event.

Phau, ranked 84th in the world, was no match for Roddick’s overpowering serve and thunderous ground strokes.

The 23-year-old Roddick won an astonishing 31-of-33 points on his first serve in the match, including all 19 in the opening set.

“My first serve is where I want it to be,” said Roddick, who is making his fourth consecutive semi-final appearance in this tournament. “It might make people think where they want to put the ball.”

In Saturday’s semi-finals, Roddick will face British teenager Murray, who posted a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win against Sweden’s Robin Soderling.

Murray does not have an ATP tournament title on his resume, falling to world number one Roger Federer in his only career final in Bangkok last year.

Hewitt, who is playing here for the first time since he beat Andre Agassi for the title in 2002, advanced to the semi-finals with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 triumph over countryman Wayne Arthurs.

Hewitt, who is two wins away from securing his 25th career singles title, pulled out the first-set tiebreaker with a backhand lob and a backhand winner before rolling in the second set.

“I think both of us were serving pretty well throughout the match,” said Hewitt, who recorded 14 aces to Arthurs’ 19. “I just managed to get through the tiebreaker.”

Hewitt, who turns 25 next Friday, next faces Spadea, who beat Belgian Kristof Vliegen 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.

And veteran John McEnroe’s return to ATP action continued as he and Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman booked a doubles semi-final berth with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Australian Ashley Fisher and American Tripp Phillips.

McEnroe, the former singles and doubles world number one who celebrated his 47th birthday on Thursday, is making his first ATP doubles appearance since February 1994, when he reached the semi-finals at Rotterdam playing with German Boris Becker.

Quarterfinals results:

Vincent Spadea (USA) bt Kristof Vliegen (BEL) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3; Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) bt Wayne Arthurs (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2; Andy Roddick (USA) bt Bjorn Phau (GER) 6-3, 6-2; Andy Murray (GBR) bt Robin Soderling (SWE) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Antwerp WTA results

ANTWERP (Belgium): Collated results from the 600,000-dollar WTA event on Friday.

Quarterfinals: Nadia Petrova (RUS) bt Olga Savchuk (UKR) 6-3, 6-3; Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) bt Patty Schnyder (SUI) 6-2, 6-4; Kim Clijsters (BEL) bt Dinara Safina (RUS) 7-6 (7/1), 6-4; Elena Dementieva (RUS) bt Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 6-4, 7-5

Marseille ATP results

MARSEILLE (France): Collated results from the 600,000-dollar Marseille ATP tournament on Friday:

Quarterfinals: Mario Ancic (CRO) bt Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-3; Arnaud Clement (FRA) bt Fabrice Santoro (FRA) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5); Rafael Nadal (ESP) bt Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 7-5, 6-4; Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) bt Yevgeny Korolev (RUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.—Agencies