WASHINGTON, 7 August 2005 — Top seed Andy Roddick fired 19 aces to outlast Ivo Karlovic 6-7 (7-9), 7-5, 6-4 in a showdown of big servers Friday to reach an ATP Washington Classic semifinal against Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan.

The 22-year-old American withstood a 29-ace barrage by the 2.08m Croatian man-mountain to win a rematch of June’s final at Queen’s, where neither managed a service break and Roddick captured the title in two tie-breakers.

Roddick recovered from making his first double fault on set point to down Karlovic in withering heat and humidity. Karlovic landed 61 percent of first serves in the match but just 52 percent in each of the last two sets.

“He was a lot more sluggish in the third set,” Roddick said. “His serve percentage must have dropped 40 points. I was getting looks at second serves.”

Roddick advanced with Paradorn, who reached his first semifinal since January by beating Peru’s Luis Horna 6-4, 7-5 at the $600,000 Open tuneup event. Roddick is 5-1 lifetime against Paradorn.

“I’ve gotten him the past couple times but it looks like he has found his form again,” Roddick said. “I’m expecting his best.”

Paradorn, trying to reclaim a top-20 ranking after a struggling 10 months with a shoulder injury, has not done this well since he reached the final at Chennai before losing to Spain’s Carlos Moya in the first week of 2005.

“The serve is going to be a key to give me a tough time,” Paradorn said of Roddick’s game. “I have to concentrate on my serve. If he has a good day, it will be hard.”

The other semi-final will send American James Blake against Czech Tomas Berdych. Blake, ranked 101st, dispatched France’s Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-2 while Berdych, ranked 36th, edged American Bobby Reynolds 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (11-9).

Roddick connected on 73 percent of his first serves to subdue 75th-rated Karlovic, whose height and power gave the home-nation hero trouble all day.

“His wingspan is pretty big. It’s like hitting into a brick wall,” Roddick said. “At the same time, low shots are more effective against him. Every strength is a weakness.”

A forehand winner gave Roddick two break-point chances in the sixth game of the last set, but he netted a forehand volley and hit a crosscourt forehand well wide, slamming down in racket in disgust at letting Karlovic escape.

Roddick earned two more break-point chances in the ninth game and finally took advantage, hitting a forehand winner to Karlovic’s feet on the backhand side. Roddick held to advance after an hour and 59 minutes.

Karlovic denied Roddick’s only first-set break chance with a forehand winner and followed with a 135-mph ace that sent Roddick ducking as the ball zipped by his head. Roddick jokingly stood near the back wall to await the next offering.

Karlovic blasted 15 aces in the first set to eight for Roddick, whose double fault to squander the set came after he was denied on a set point of his own by a 138-mph ace from Karlovic.

Roddick broke Karlovic in the 11th game of the second set with a forehand winner to the Croatian’s feet and held to force a third set.

Paradorn has not won an ATP crown since last year on Nottingham grass but is making a strong bid for his sixth career title.

Paradorn, who fired 11 aces past Horna, has changed his serve style to ease the stress on a sore shoulder that has dramatically improved in the past month. The Asian No. 1 avenged a loss to Horna in their only prior meeting last year at the Long Island semi-finals, a loss that ended Paradorn’s reign after 2002 and 2003 titles in the final tune-up for the year’s last Grand Slam.

China’s Peng Shocks Clijsters to Reach San Diego Semis

In San Diego, California, China’s Peng Shuai, ranked 46th in the world, upset seventh-seeded Belgian Kim Clijsters 6-4, 6-4, on Friday to reach the semifinals at the $1.3 million WTA Acura Classic. Peng had entered the match as a heavy underdog to Clijsters, who had won 26 consecutive hardcourt matches on American soil since losing to compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne in the 2003 US Open final.

The 19-year-old Peng, who had upset third seed Elena Dementieva of Russia in the second round and No. 16 Dinara Safina in the third, continued her unlikely run by dictating play from the baseline with her searing, two-fisted shots from both wings that kept her speedy opponent on the run throughout the shocker.

Peng’s advances to face sixth seed Mary Pierce, of France, who knocked off fatigued fifth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, 6-4, 6-4, in the day session.

Meanwhile, the Japanese assault on the San Diego tournament continued with Ai Sugiyama and Akiko Morigami both winning on Friday to set up a clash in the semi-finals.

Unseeded Sugiyama became the first player to move into the semis of the hardcourt event by rolling over 15-year-old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva 6-1, 6-2. Karatantcheva, who turns 16 tomorrow, was looking to advance to her first WTA career semifinal.

Pierce has won six of their eight all-time encounters, including an epic 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 fourth-round victory over the lefthander at the French Open that propelled her to a runner-up finish to Belgian Justin Henin-Hardenne.

Davenport, Williams Pullouts Cripple Another WTA Event

In Los Angeles, fading world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport and fourth-ranked Serena Williams pulled out of next week’s JP Morgan Chase tournament Friday, crippling a second straight WTA women’s event.

With US tennis touting its US Open Series run of events to the Grand Slam which starts Aug. 29, officials have been scratching to come up with names for the women’s fields this month.

Davenport and Williams already made late withdrawals from this week’s Acura Classic at Carlsbad near San Diego. So did Maria Sharapova. Disappointed officials at the JP Morgan Chase event starting tomorrow at Carson south of Los Angeles, were hit by the pullouts of Davenport, who has been complaining of lower back pain, and Williams, who has been carrying a left ankle injury for much of the season. Since injuring it in April, former world number 1 Williams has played only four matches, her last a third-round embarrassment against American Jill Craybas in Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, WTA bosses are also without a healthy Venus Williams, the current Wimbledon champion, who is playing for a guarantee this week at a small event in Stockholm.

Next week’s event will feature Sharapova as top seed ahead of another group of Russian compatriots plus Kim Clijsters and Mary Pierce.