• AEGON Championships

Classy Murray sweeps aside four-time champ Roddick

Andy Murray fired down 13 aces against Andy Roddick © PA Photos

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: History beckons for Murray
  
• News: ATP Tour Seedings
  
• Profile: Andy Murray | Andy Roddick

ATP Tour seedings

Andy Murray's increasingly impressive form propelled him into the AEGON Championships final on Saturday, after he produced his best performance of the week to defeat Andy Roddick.

Murray has rarely been mentioned among the favourites for this year's Wimbledon title, perhaps correctly so after failing to win a single title to date in 2011. But this weekend's semi-final against Roddick was his fourth in his last five events, and such was his dominance over the world No. 10 that he is now fully expected to repeat his 2009 triumph at Queen's on Sunday.

Roddick beat Murray in the pair's last meeting on grass two years ago, at Wimbledon, but his game is tailor-made for the clever, counter-attacking style of the Brit. Murray signalled his intention by breaking in Roddick's very first service game, and he hit a catalogue of winners off both wings from that point onwards in a 6-3 6-1 victory.

"I got off to a good start," said Murray. "Andy is one of the toughest guys to break on the tour. I managed to get a break early in both sets, everything that touched my racket was going in.

"That doesn't happen much on court. I was lucky. I'm sure if we play at Wimbledon it will be much tighter."

Roddick has won the AEGON Championships on four previous occasions, losing only five times in 37 matches in the competition. However, his most potent weapon is his serve, and Murray tends to absorb big-hitters like a sponge before turning their own power against them.

After an easy hold, the Scot nailed a brilliant backhand return winner to instantly put Roddick under pressure, and the American cracked by sending two sloppy slices into the net to hand Murray the break.

Roddick tried hard to find a way back into the match, striking his forehand well, but the former world No. 1 regularly commits unforced errors - particularly off the backhand side - and Murray knew it. The Brit loves nothing more than to allow his opponents to make their own mistakes, and Roddick obliged as Murray clinched the opening set with his 10th ace.

The home favourite had stated pre-match that he would need to serve well in order to beat Roddick, and after nine games he was out-acing A-Rod 10 to 2. Once again he broke immediately in the second set, passing his rival with ease as Roddick stood like a sitting duck at the net.

Most satisfying of all for Murray will have been the ease at which he held serve throughout the contest, refusing to allow Roddick a solitary break chance, and he dropped just nine points on serve in the entire match.

A second break, gifted to him when Roddick sunk a forehand approach into the net, accelerated Murray's march towards victory, which was confirmed by his fourth break of the match in under an hour of tennis. He even had time for the odd forehand smear across court, much to the delight of the home fans, and will now play the winner of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and James Ward in the final.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.