Rainer Schuettler beat an exhausted Andy Roddick to reach his first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open.

The German, seeded 31, came through 7-5 2-6 6-3 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes to set up a final against Andre Agassi on Sunday.

An emotional Schuettler said afterwards: "It's great to be in the final and I'll try to give my best like I did tonight.

I tried my best, and I wasn't going to pull out of another Grand Slam Andy Roddick

"When I came here I didn't even think about making the final. I'll have no pressure on Sunday and we'll see what happens."

Schuettler held his game together impressively despite a second-set fightback from his American opponent.

But Roddick suffered from his epic five-hour match with Younes El Aynaoui and was also troubled with a wrist injury that required attention from the trainer.

Roddick struggled with a wrist injury

He had strapping bound around his right wrist in the second set but went on to produce his best tennis of the evening, breaking Schuettler twice in a row.

But the 26-year-old German upped his game in the third set and wisely chose to move Roddick around with a succession of drop shots.

A break in the first game of the fourth set all but secured the win and Schuettler later sealed the match with a backhand winner down the line on Roddick's serve.

Roddick admitted that the wrist had been a problem but was spurred on by the memory of having to withdraw from the 2001 French Open through injury.

"I knew going out there that it (wrist) was sore," he said.

"But I warmed up and the pain was tolerable so I thought as long as it stayed like that I could grin and bear it, get through it.

"But it didn't get better as the match went on.

"It was tough. I went out there, I tried my best, and I wasn't going to pull out of another Grand Slam. It wasn't going to happen."