Roddick looks for winning finale to fairy-tale script

Andy Roddick, who will go to the Masters Cup in Houston as the world No 1, is proud to stand tall at the head of a trio of young champions whose exploits this season have provided a welcome diversion from a stream of adverse publicity concerning drugs, internet betting and financial wrangles.

"There are a lot of guys out here who give their heart and soul every time, who are very clean and play by the rules," said Roddick, who yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the Paris Masters with a 7-5, 7-6 win against Jonas Bjorkman, of Sweden. "My colleagues are very good guys, and we have a lot of cool people who do the right things. That's what I choose to focus on."

Roger Federer, the Wimbledon champion, one of Roddick's rivals to finish the year as No 1, emphasised that the onus was on the players to take responsibility for their actions.

"It's up to the players not to do stupid things," Federer said. "The ATP can't do much. Everybody has to take care of himself. I'm watching myself. I'm not doing any stupid things. I'm just playing a sport that I love."

"The race for No 1 gives something positive to look at as opposed to people trying to make a controversy," Roddick added. "The race is exciting for me and exciting for tennis in general. The way it's happened, it's almost been scripted, with Juan Carlos [Ferrero] winning on clay, Roger [Federer] winning on grass, me winning on hard courts in the States.

"It's been a fairy-tale year for us - but only one of us gets to finish the fairy-tale."

As the 21-year-old American pointed out, it was important for the three brightest youngsters in the game to prove they were ready to take the mantle after the Pete Sampras/Andre Agassi era. "Even though we are pretty young, people were starting to say, 'When is it going to happen?' It's a big relief now. And I think all of our best tennis is ahead of us," Roddick said.

Roddick became the 22nd player to ascend to No 1 since the ATP rankings began in 1973 after Ferrero lost in the third round on Thursday. Asked if he thought Ferrero's loss of status would prompt the 23-year-old Spaniard to redouble his challenge in Houston on 8 November, Roddick said: "No, he was going to play hard either way. I don't think all of a sudden he lost here and he's saying, 'Oh, I guess I'll try in Houston now.' There's a lot at stake. I'll expect everybody at that tournament to come with their best efforts."

Returning to the theme of the vibrancy of the men's game, Roddick said: "If you look at how many of the top 100 players are 23 and younger, it will shock you, to be honest."

At the last count there were 37 players in the top 100 aged 23 and under, which seems normal and healthy in a young man's sport. This leaves 67 players aged 24-plus who are adding experience to the mix.

The quarter-finals of the last Master Series tournament of the season here yesterday featured mature players and modern competitors: Andrei Pavel, 29, against Rainer Schüttler, 27; Jiri Novak, 28, against Hichman Arazi, 30; Roddick, 21, against Jonas Bjorkman, 31; and Tim Henman, 29, against Federer, 22.

Schüttler, the German world No 6, has had a steady season since finishing runner-up to Andre Agassi at the Australian Open in January, and will be in the eight-strong field in Houston. But he seems unable to give his best when he plays Pavel. The Romanian advanced to today's semi-finals with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory, his fourth consecutive win against Schüttler.

Pavel, ranked No 191, has been hampered by wrist and back injuries this season, and gained entry to the tournament with a protected ranking of 44. He did not win his first match until September in Metz - where he had to save a match point against Dominik Hrbaty, of Slovakia. Yesterday, Pavel, the more consistent server, saved 10 of 12 break points against Schüttler.

He will duel with the Czech, Novak, for a place in tomorrow's final. Novak, whose steady serve and punishing groundstrokes accounted for Ferrero in the third round, dispatched Arazi, the Moroccan left-hander who gave Britain's Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski such a hard time in the Davis Cup, 6-2, 6-2.