Top seed and defending champion Andy Roddick moved into the semifinal with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over his friend and countryman Robby Ginepri.

Roddick served 13 aces and saved all four break points against him to earn a place in the last four, where he will face Brian Vahaly.

The 20-year-old American broke Ginepri's serve in the opening game of the match, and did so for the second time at 4-4 in the second set before closing it out in 1 hour, 10 minutes.

"There were a few less fireworks tonight but it could have been a similar situation," said Roddick, who saved three match points against Hyung-Taik Lee in the second round. "He played a good match but I managed to serve out the big points. I thought he was hitting the ball well. I didn't feel that great out there but I took my opportunities and he didn't."

Next Generation

With four Americans reaching the semifinals, Roddick said: "I bet an American is going to win! I'm happy for guys like Robby getting to the quarterfinals and Brian getting to the semis. It's very positive and I think it's a good time for American tennis. No one can replace that generation [Agassi, Sampras, Chang, Courier], but we all get along great and hopefully we can bring some excitement."

Both Roddick and Ginepri go back a long way, having first played each other as juniors when they were 11 years old, and they remain good friends."He will stay with me during the Delray Beach tournament and over friendship goes over the bounds out there," said Roddick.

"I'm really happy for him…but I also wanted to bring it to an end. The time we played in Knoxville [in 2000], I think there were four people there - including both sets of parents. He's hitting the ball a lot harder now and serving a lot faster. He definitely has the tools, and with the belief, anything is possible."