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Roddick romps past Djokovic
07/03/2008 21:07 - (SA)
Dubai - Andy Roddick kept both his ace count and confidence high with a storming 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory over Novak Djokovic on Friday to reach the final against Feliciano Lopez at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships.
The world number six dispatched third-ranked Australian Open winner Djokovic from Serbia a day after beating world number two Rafael Nadal, firing 14 aces in his semi-final win.
The American takes a 3-0 record against the Spaniard into their title match, the second for Roddick in three weeks after winning San Jose last month.
Lopez engineered a dramatic comeback from 2-5 down in the final set to deny Nikolay Davydenko a place 6-4 4-6 7-5.
"I played well and played the right way - I had to," said Roddick.
"I had to tough out some games in the first set, but I'm pleased with how I've been playing."
Roddick has made a solid debut in Dubai and is yet to drop serve going into the final in a bid for the 25th title of his career.
Djokovic said: "I came out nervous at the start. He is the strongest serve in tennis and it was tough to get a rhythm.
"I didn't use the opportunities that I was given. It was not my day, but I'm generally happy with my form. I'll try to be ready next week for Indian Wells (first Masters Series event of the season in California)."
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