Roddick, Del Potro duel for Legg title

WASHINGTON – Andy Roddick has advanced to the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic for the fourth time, setting up a meeting with Juan Martin del Potro.

Roddick beat American compatriot John Isner, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 7-5, on Saturday and Argentina’s del Potro downed Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, 7-6 (2), 6-3, setting up a clash of the two top seeds in the final.

Roddick and Isner were even through most of the third set until Roddick broke Isner to go up 6-5.

“I was getting break points, I wasn’t converting,” Roddick said in a television interview immediately after the match. “But it wasn’t because I wasn’t putting returns on the court or putting pressure on him, he was coming up with the goods.”

Isner had skirted trouble earlier in the set. He faced break point at 4-4 before he fought back and closed out the game with his 19th ace. He was not as lucky with his next service game, hitting an attempted crosscourt forehand into the net on the second break point.

Roddick then closed out the match, finishing with a backhand winner down the line.

“Every service game I held was just a battle,” Isner said. “Eventually he kind of broke me down, got me at 5-5, and that was it.”

Roddick only faced two break points in the match, saving both in the third game of the first set.

Both players relied on big serves. Isner had 20 aces and did not double fault, while Roddick had nine aces against one double fault.

Roddick, who entered with a 29-6 record in tiebreakers this year, had a rare tiebreaker loss in the first set. He wasted no time reasserting himself, getting the first service break of the match in the second set’s opening game. He broke Isner a second time for a 5-2 lead, and served out the set.  (AP)