Roddick wins to keep Paris in his sights

Top-seeded Andy Roddick reached the final of the Raiffeisen Grand Prix when David Sanchez retired because of a leg injury while trailing in the second set.

Roddick was ahead 6-2, 2-0 when Sanchez, seeded eighth, withdrew from the clay court tuneup for the French Open with a strained muscle in his right leg.

The Spaniard had to take a time-out in game eight of the first set for medical care and his leg problem became even more apparent in the second set.

"I was focusing on my own game and did not look at my opponent's problems," Roddick said, adding that his "great performance in St.Poelten set me in the right mood for the French Open."

After the match, Roddick was congratulated by ski star Hermann Maier, a dedicated tennis fan.

In Saturday's final, Roddick will face sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, who beat unseeded Dutchman Martin Verkerk 7-5, 6-1.

Davydenko, who is yet to lose a set in the tournament, had to battle hard in the first set to overcome Verkerk's crashing serve.

In the second set, Verkerk committed a large number of unforced errors and Davydenko, the champion in Adelaide and Estoril, cruised to victory.

The Russian is trying to join Andre Agassi and Roger Federer as the only players to win more than two titles this year.