Roddick Sets Up Blake Semifinal

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Three-time defending champion Andy Roddick will meet fellow American James Blake in the semifinals of the 2006 Stella Artois Championships after defeating No. 6 seed Fernando Gonzalez on Friday.

Roddick needed just 61 minutes to record a 6-4, 6-3 victory over the Chilean and extend his unbeaten run at The Queen’s Club to 18 matches.

The American has not lost here since his debut in 2002 against Mikhail Youzhny, and now has an 18-1 record in the tournament and he believes everything is going well so far this year.

“I just feel like I've been right around the corner from playing well for a little bit,” said Roddick. “I just kind of haven't gotten there. Obviously, coming to your favorite surface and coming to one of your favorite tournaments, the recipe was there for something good to happen. And I feel good about the week and I definitely want it to keep going.”

Roddick has won all six career meetings against his Davis Cup teammate Blake, without losing a set since their first encounter in the Memphis final back in 2002. But Roddick knows it will not be a foregone conclusion this time around.

“James hits the ball well enough to play well on any surface,” said Roddick. “I think that's been apparent this year. He hasn't had the most success on grass in the past, but everything's there for him to be a real force on it. He's a quick twitch player. He hits a big ball. He's fast enough. He volleys well. He takes a crack at his returns. So it should be tough, that's for sure.”

Blake advanced to the semifinals after his French opponent Gael Monfils retired at the end of the first set with a back injury. Blake, the World No. 7 who has won two titles this year in Sydney and Las Vegas, was leading 6-1 when Monfils called it a day.

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