Top seed Andy Roddick closed on his third title of the year by brushing aside Frenchman Marc Gicquel 6-3, 6-1 to reach the semifinals of the ATP event in Los Angeles on Friday. The American, on the comeback trail after shoulder and neck injuries, grew in confidence as the match wore on to set up a semifinal with unseeded German Denis Gremelmayr, who upset former world number one Marat Safin 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. American sixth seed Mardy Fish fired eight aces as he reached his second semifinal of the year with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Frenchman Florent Serra. Fish next plays third seed Juan Martin Del Potro after the Argentine took his winning streak to 12 matches with a 7-6, 6-2 win over American qualifier Amer Delic. The 31-year-old Gicquel matched Roddick in the early stages but the top seed snatched the break in the eighth game and served out for the opening set. A series of mistakes from Gicquel in the opening game of the second set handed Roddick the early break and once he had broken again for 4-1, the result was never in doubt. “The first set, I won 6-3 but I really didn't feel super comfortable,” Roddick told reporters. “The second set was probably the first really good set I have played in four months, I started to move the ball around well, so that was a really good feeling. “I think this match could be one that I look back on as a turning point in the year.” Gremelmayr dealt former US Open champion Safin a blow to his hopes of being seeded at Flushing Meadows this month by coming from behind to beat the Russian in the quarterfinals. World number 44 Safin overpowered the German early but was eventually worn down in an hour and 45 minutes as Gremelmayr, who made just seven unforced errors, ran down everything and forced the errors from the Russian fifth seed. “I made a couple of mistakes, the guy started to feel much more comfortable on the court and the momentum was gone,” Safin said. “I didn't serve very well in the third set and the balls are pretty slow so it was difficult for my game. I could not change it by serving and volleying. It was perfect for him because he was playing very simple tennis.” Safin must now hope for a good performance next week in Washington if he is to earn one of the 32 seeded berths in New York, not that he seemed overly concerned “It's ok if I am not seeded,” he said. “Yes, it would be good if I am, but I am not going to shoot myself if I am not.”
