Roddick and Stepanek advance

US top seed Andy Roddick rallied to beat Australian Lleyton Hewitt 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in a semi-final showdown of former world number ones at the ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament here Saturday.

Roddick, who blasted half his 16 aces in the second set and six more in the third, advanced to Sunday’s final for a 300,000-dollar top prize against Czech fifth seed Radek Stepanek, who eliminated Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-1.

The 1.22 million-dollar event also features a later women’s final matching Danish top seed Caroline Wozniacki and second seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Sixth-ranked Roddick, the 2002 Memphis winner, is 4-1 against Stepanek and improved to 4-6 against Hewitt with his third consecutive victory in the rivalry. They had not faced each other since 2006.

Roddick, seeking his 27th career title, has reached at least the semi-finals at all four events he has played in 2009 but has yet to claim a crown.

Hewitt, who has fallen to 103rd in the rankings, fired 14 aces in defeat. He has not won an ATP event since March of 2007.

Stepanek, ranked 21st, won last week’s ATP event in San Jose and has not lost a set this week. He ousted Sela in 58 minutes, never facing a break point in improving to 16-2 this season, the best start of the 30-year-old’s career.

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Sunday AFP