 Ferrer could celebrate his birthday by playing in Sunday's final |
David Ferrer stunned number four seed Andy Roddick 6-3 4-6 6-4 to book his place in the Nasdaq-100 semi-finals. The Spaniard, who is ranked 11th in the world, raced into a one set lead.
But Roddick showed his fighting instincts - clawing his way back to clinch the second - but when it came to the crunch Ferrer held his nerve.
He will meet world number one Roger Federer in the last four after the Swiss star defeated American James Blake 7-6 6-4.
But Ferrer's win was not without controversy as he received a warning from the umpire for receiving coaching from the sidelines.
However, the Spaniard's cause was aided by a massive 49 unforced errors from Roddick, the 2004 champion who has been in poor form in recent weeks.
The former world number one last won a title in November and has yet to reach a final this year.
Federer swept past James Blake for the second time in a month for his 46th straight win on US soil and his 25th consecutive victory against an American player but was satisfied to overcome the swirling wind.
"There were tough conditions and I handled them well," Federer said.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 