Roddick and Saulnier reach final

Top seed Andy Roddick reached the final of the SAP Open with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 triumph over third seed Tommy Haas of Germany last night.

Roddick won this tournament last year, when it was called the Siebel Open, beating fellow American Mardy Fish in the final.

The 22-year-old Roddick is playing his first tournament since a disappointing four-set loss to Lleyton Hewitt in the Australian Open semi-finals.

“It was a pretty high level of tennis today,” Roddick said. “Tommy was playing really well from the baseline.”

Roddick rolled in the third set after surviving a tiebreak for the second straight day.

“The biggest turning point was at 4-3 (in the tiebreak) and I was able to convert,” he said.

“Basically, it’s frustrating when you had your chances against a top five player,” Haas said.

“We both like to pound the ball, I tried to keep my groundstrokes pretty steady and tried to keep him moving around. His game is very dangerous.”

In Saturday’s first semi-final, unseeded Frenchman Cyril Saulnier continued his surprising run with a 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-3 victory over seventh seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria.

The 29-year-old Saulnier, ranked 50th, is in his first ATP Tour final. Last season, he made it to a pair of semi-finals.

“The first set I started off slow,” Saulnier said.

“I needed to be more aggressive. I said to myself, ’You are so close.’ I’ve played good matches against top 10-15 players. I’ve worked hard to reach this goal.”

Melzer stunned second seed Andre Agassi 6-3 6-1 in the quarterfinals Friday, ending the American’s bid for a sixth SAP Open title.