Roddick Loses to Murray in Semifinal at San Jose

Britain’s 18-year-old upstart Andy Murray beat top-seeded Andy Roddick, 7-5, 7-5, in the semifinals of the SAP Open in San Jose on Saturday.

Murray, ranked No. 62 in the world, hit his groundstrokes deep throughout the match and got key points against Roddick’s big serve when he needed them.

“I have so much respect for a guy like Roddick. He’s achieved so much,” said Murray, who will face third-seeded Lleyton Hewitt in today’s final. “It’s great just to be on the court with him. To beat him is amazing.”

For the struggling Roddick, a fourth-round loser at the Australian Open last month, it’s back to the drawing board.

“It just seemed like I couldn’t get the ball to go through the court like I would have liked,” he said. “It was difficult. I wasn’t getting much bite on my service action. It was frustrating.”

Murray said his service returns were key.

“He obviously didn’t serve as well as he can. I don’t know if that was because I was returning very well or if he just wasn’t feeling as confident as he normally was,” Murray said.

Earlier, Hewitt used a dazzling array of angles on his serves and groundstrokes to defeat Vince Spadea, 6-3, 6-4.

Hewitt, the 11th-ranked player in the world, had the answer for everything Spadea could dish out, especially from the backcourt, where his speed gave him a huge advantage on the indoor court.

Hewitt’s toughness was hard to crack, Spadea said.

“You need a weapon to beat him or you have to out-tough him. That’s his game, being tough,” Spadea said.

Top-ranked Kim Clijsters defeated Elena Dementieva, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, to reach the final of the Diamond Games at Antwerp, Belgium.

Clijsters will play No. 2-ranked Amelie Mauresmo in today’s final. In the first semifinal, the Australian Open champion won five consecutive games in the second set to beat Nadia Petrova, 6-4, 7-5.

It was Mauresmo’s 14th consecutive victory and kept her in the running for the $1.2-million gem-encrusted racket awarded to any player who wins the tournament three times in five years.

After struggling in the first set with a weak backhand and several unforced errors, Clijsters stepped up her game in the second. She took a 4-0 lead, surprising the fifth-seeded Dementieva.

“I was not aggressive enough in the first set and I did not take advantage, but after that I put her under pressure,” said Clijsters, who beat Dementieva for the ninth time in 11 meetings.

Arnaud Clement rallied to beat top-seeded Rafael Nadal, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the semifinals of Open 13 at Marseille, France.

The 67th-ranked Clement will play sixth-seeded Mario Ancic, who defeated Sebastien Grosjean, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Fifth-seeded Carlos Moya defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, to reach the final of the Copa Telmex in Buenos Aires. He will play sixth-seeded Filippo Volandri, who beat Agustin Calleri, 6-3, 6-4.

SOCCER

Chivas USA Defeats

Galaxy in Scrimmage

Longtime Mexican national team defender Claudio Suarez headed in Juan Pablo Garcia’s corner kick in the 76th minute for the tiebreaking goal as Chivas USA defeated the Galaxy, 2-1, in an MLS scrimmage at the Home Depot Center.

Chivas USA took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute on Ante Razov’s goal. Herculez Gomez tied it for the Galaxy in the 33rd minute.

Peter Crouch’s goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the English FA Cup, the club’s first win over United in the competition since 1921.

Crouch’s 19th-minute goal was his first in eight matches and made him the first Liverpool striker to score this year. He headed Steven Gerrard’s corner kick toward the goal and the United goalkeeper could only push the ball on to the post, where it bounced into the net.

Things got worse for United in the last minute when substitute Alan Smith landed awkwardly after jumping to block John Arne Riise’s kick and suffered a broken left leg.

JURISPRUDENCE

Green Bay Cornerback

Carroll Is Arrested

Green Bay Packer cornerback Ahmad Carroll was arrested after allegedly arguing with a police officer in a Fayetteville, Ark., bar.

Carroll, 22, was charged Friday with third-degree assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and refusal to submit to arrest, Washington County sheriff’s Sgt. Donna Smith said. He was released on $1,550 bond.

Each of the misdemeanors is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Carroll, who played at Arkansas, is scheduled to appear in Fayetteville District Court on March 10.

Former heavyweight boxer Dale Crowe has been indicted in the death of a man whose body was found in a trash bin in Cincinnati.

Crowe, 29, was arrested Thursday outside the Hamilton County courthouse after he had made an appearance there on an unrelated misdemeanor.

Prosecutors accuse him of killing Frank Branam, 23, of Cincinnati. Crowe faces charges of aggravated murder, murder and aggravated robbery.

The victim’s relatives told investigators that Branam was last seen with Crowe on Aug. 10, 2002. His body was found in a trash container a month later.

Crowe, who was being held on a $1.6-million bond, defeated former World Boxing Assn. heavyweight champion Greg Page during a March 2001 fight in Erlanger, Ky.

MISCELLANY

Montreal’s Theodore

Sidelined Six Weeks

Montreal Canadien goaltender Jose Theodore will be sidelined six to eight weeks after fracturing his right heel bone Thursday while walking down the frozen steps of his Montreal home, the team said.

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T.J. Simers has the day off.