Murray takes out Roddick in SAP
Murray advanced to today’s final with a 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 victory at HP Pavilion, his third win in four tries against the top-ranked American.
Next up for No. 3 seed Murray is the wickedly hard-serving Ivo Karlovic, a 6-foot-10 Croat who had 27 aces in his 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 semifinal victory over sixth-seeded Benjamin Becker.
Murray wasn’t quite that powerful against Roddick, but he was nonetheless impressive. With Brad Gilbert — who once coached Roddick and now coaches Murray — watching, Murray was at his best when the points mattered most.
He saved a set point against Roddick’s serve in the tiebreaker. He hit a dazzling forehand to break serve five games into the second set. He saved a break point at 4-3 with a clever backhand volley. Then, on match point, he blasted a forehand that hit the top of the net and landed in near the baseline.
“After I got my shots in the tiebreaker, I took it,'’ Murray said. “Then in the second set I was definitely in control the whole way.'’ Mercury News