Roddick confident? Roger that

He will face Federer in the quarterfinals tonight at the Sony Ericsson Open.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Andy Roddick’s winning percentage against Roger Federer could be worse.

Instead of .063, it could be .000.

Yes, Roddick has lost to his nemesis 15 times, including their past 11 meetings. And yes, Roddick has won only six of the 43 sets they’ve played.

But Roddick beat Federer once and expects to do it again, maybe even tonight. They’ll play in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open.

“It will be good,” Roddick said, and he almost sounded convincing. “I always look forward to it, and I do believe that I’ll beat him one of these times. Hopefully that will be this time around.”

The top-ranked Federer will be a heavy favorite, however. Still seeking his first title this year, Federer looks highly motivated and has yet to lose a set in three rounds, while Roddick twice had to overcome one-set deficits.

Plus, a 15-1 record gives a fellow a slight psychological edge.

“I have a definitely a very, very good record against him,” Federer said.

Roddick became the lone remaining American in the men’s draw when James Blake lost in the quarterfinals Wednesday to Rafael Nadal, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva earned berths in the women’s semifinals.

The meeting between Federer and Roddick will be their first since November at the Tennis Masters Cup in China. Roddick won six games in two sets.

They also met in the quarterfinals at last year’s U.S. Open. Roddick lost two tiebreaker, then faded in the third set.

Nadal showed his typical tenacity in the quarterfinals, beating Blake despite converting only four of 19 break-point chances. Ranked No. 2, Nadal is seeking his first tournament title this year and his first title at Key Biscayne.

“Right now I am feeling like I am playing at my best level,” Nadal said.

Blake said he felt fine physically in the afternoon heat and could have played three more sets, but he blamed himself for allowing Nadal back into the match.

“I played my game for a while, and then I got a little indecisive,” Blake said. “I wasn’t attacking as much. They say the heat can affect your mind, too. Maybe it got to my head.”

The fourth-seeded Jankovic advanced when Elena Dementieva retired with a back injury trailing 6-3, 3-1. Jankovic’s opponent today will be 19th-seeded Zvonareva, who beat No. 13 Dinara Safina 7-5, 6-4.