Roddick into San Jose final

Andy Roddick will play Cyril Saulnier in the final of the SAP Open in San Jose on Sunday.

The American top seed and defending champion overcame Germany's Tommy Haas, the third seed, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3. And Saulnier survived an injury scare in his semi-final with seventh-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer. The Frenchman twisted his ankle early in the second set but overcame Melzer, who was left fuming over a series of line calls, 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-3. "I was feeling horrible earlier in the week," Roddick said. "I thought tonight was another step in the right direction. "On my returns, I was standing in more and I'm getting a little more depth, even if I don't hit a perfect return."

Roddick won the last four points of the first-set tie-break before being broken at the start of the second set. But he broke straight back and then broke Haas again to lead 4-2. "It's extremely frustrating when you have chances against a top-five player and don't do anything with them," admitted Haas. "I rushed a few backhands and he took advantage." Saulnier will move into the world's top 50 for the first time after his passage through to the final. "It's taken a lot of work and a lot of fighting in my mind," he revealed. "Sometimes I didn't believe I could get to a final and now I am here. I've stayed mentally strong. "I'm on the way. I'll keep fighting and work a lot and I'll be up there."
