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LONDON: Home favourite Andy Murray thrashed American Andy Roddick 6-3 6-1 in a grasscourt masterclass to reach the final of the Queen's Club championships on Saturday.
World number four Murray was in dazzling form in a one-sided contest that was all over inside an hour and he will hope to continue in similar fashion when he plays charismatic Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday.
Fifth seed Tsonga ended the surprise run of British wildcard James Ward 6-3 7-6 in the second semi – surviving a set point against him in the tiebreak.
Murray broke Roddick's first service game and the rest of the match resembled an exhibition from the Scot who looked in ominously good form with Wimbledon looming on the horizon.
“I was trying all sorts of different shots, all of them were going in,” Murray, who will again shoulder British hopes of a first men's grand slam champion since Fred Perry's U.S. Open triumph in 1936, told reporters.
“Today was just one of those days where everything went right. The week's been pretty much perfect so far.”
The 28-year-old Roddick, who got the better of Murray when they last met in the 2009 Wimbledon semi-finals, agreed.
“Everything he touched turn to gold,” the 28-year-old told reporters. “He was too good for me today.
“He had really good ball control today. I felt like he was working it wherever he wanted to.”
Roddick, one of the best grasscourt players in the world with three Wimbledon finals on his CV, simply had no answer to Murray's greater variety.
Even his fearsome serve was treated with a degree of casual indifference by Murray who appeared to have the ball on a string as he pulled Roddick this way and that before tempting the third seed into the net and then stroking away a passing shot.
The 24-year-old Scot, now recovered from the ankle injury sustained during his run to the French Open semis, achieved a double break of serve as he galloped away with the second set.
With Roddick serving at 1-5, Murray thumped an unstoppable forehand return off a ferocious Roddick serve, prompting the American to quip “let's keep it social” across the net.
On match point Roddick dumped an attempted drop shot into the net and immediately turned his thoughts to Wimbledon, a little chastened but still encouraged with his form.
“I feel good going into the off week. I got four matches in and I feel prepared for Wimbledon,” he said.
Tsonga, who beat French Open champion and world number one Rafa Nadal on Friday, took advantage of a nervy start by Ward, whose progress here has almost left Murray in the shade.
The British number two, who beat fourth seed Stanislas Wawrinka and defending champion Sam Querrey en route to his first ATP semi-final, made a match of it in the second set though and was a break up at 4-2 before Tsonga recovered to set up a tie break.
Ward, the world number 216, even had a set point in the tiebreak which Tsonga saved with a brave second serve down the middle.
