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INDIANAPOLIS - Nothing quite like a tiebreaker to get Andy Roddick going.

Roddick fell into a big deficit and faced three match points before coming back to beat Ivan Ljubicic 1-6, 7-6 (10), 7-6 (3) Saturday in the RCA Championships semifinals.

Roddick, who improved to 14-1 in tiebreakers since the French Open, will face Nicolas Kiefer in today's final. The second-ranked American is trying to become the tournament's first repeat champion since Pete Sampras in 1991-92.

It was their first match since Ljubicic railed against Roddick after losing to him at the U.S. Open last year. The Croatian said then that Roddick was too loud and was unliked by other players.

On Saturday, Roddick was frustrated early by well-placed drop shots from Ljubicic. Down 4-1 in the first set, Roddick was warned after he slammed a ball into the stands. He also shook his head or muttered to himself often after errors.

But his shots were right on target when they had to be. He saved three match points in the second-set tiebreaker.

JPMORGAN CHASE OPEN: A bum wrist cut short the latest chapter in the rivalry between Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport.

Davenport led 7-5, 2-0 in the semifinals Saturday when Williams retired because of a right wrist injury.

A doctor who examined Williams diagnosed it as a sprain and advised her to rest until Monday, when she will be re-evaluated.

Davenport advanced to today's final for the eighth time in nine years, having won three times. She will play either top-seeded Serena Williams or No. 4 Elena Dementieva, who met in an evening semifinal at Home Depot Center.

LOCAL WINS NATIONAL TITLES: Connie Hsu of Anderson defeated Brett Ellen Keeler 6-2, 6-1 Saturday to win the USTA National Clay Court Championship 12-year-old division at the Polo Club in Boca Raton, Fla.

Hsu and her doubles partner Ariel Caldwell, of Bradenton, Fla., won the title, winning 6-4, 6-2 over Brittany Dubins and Jaime Yapp-Shing of the Miami area.

FATHER-SON: Top seeds Neil and Cole Newman of Columbus advanced to the final of the National Father and Son Clay Court Championship at 2:30 p.m. today at the Cincinnati Tennis Club in East Walnut Hills.

The Newmans defeated Mark Scribner and Ryan Drew of Hailey, Idaho, in the semifinals 6-4, 7-6 (2). Their opponents in the final are David and DJ Geatz, an unseeded team from Minneapolis.

Two local teams are still alive in the tournament. John D. and John H. Peckskamp will play for fifth place at 11:30 a.m. today, and Tim and Tim Geraci are in the semifinals of the backdraw.