Roddick edges Nadal in Sony semis

Associated Press

KEY BISCAYNE, FLA.

Andy Roddick resisted the impulse to retreat. Or surrender. Instead, finding himself overpowered by Rafael Nadal, Roddick began to charge the net.

“It’s kind of like driving into head-on traffic,” Roddick said.

Though counterintuitive, the tactic worked, and Roddick rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory Friday in the Sony Ericsson Open semifinals.

Once Roddick fell behind, he became more aggressive, even following his second serve to the net on occasion. Momentum turned when he won the last 11 points of the second set, including a 143-mph serve — the fastest by any player in the tournament — for a winner on the final point to even the match.

Roddick kept coming, winning 12 points at the net in the final set. He also put more oomph into his forehand, especially on returns.

“I took a lot of risks there in the last two sets,” he said. “I rolled the dice a lot and came up Yahtzee a couple times.”

To the delight of traditionalists, Roddick played serve and volley 10 times. He’ll play in the championship Sunday against 16th-seeded Tomas Berdych, who advanced by beating Robin Soderling 6-2, 6-2.

Berdych upset top-ranked Roger Federer in the fourth round. The Czech’s only other Masters 1000 final was in 2005, when he won the Paris title.

The No. 6-seeded Roddick reached the Key Biscayne final for the first time since winning the championship in 2004. He’s seeking his first Masters 1000 title since August 2006 in Cincinnati.

Roddick vs. Nadal felt like a final. The near-capacity crowd included Tiger Woods’ wife, Elin, and their son Charlie, who watched under an awning at the skybox level near the players’ lounge.