Andy Roddick defeated Mikhail Youzhny yesterday to advance to today's US Open final against Roger Federer. - Reuters

NEW YORK, (Reuters):

TWICE DEFENDING champion Roger Federer and former world number one Andy Roddick will square off in a mouthwatering U.S. Open final today after rolling over Russians in their semi-finals.

Federer needed an hour and 43 minutes yesterday to breeze past iron man Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 to become the first man in the Open era to reach six straight grand slam finals.

Roddick recovered from a first-set wobble to oust unseeded Mikhail Youzhny 6-7, 6-0, 7-6, 6-3 and reach his first Open final since winning the tournament in 2003.

"I'm going to enjoy this for about five minutes and then eat a lot tonight, try to get some sleep, and then try to win the U.S. Open tomorrow," Roddick told a cheering, capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Number two seed Justine Henin-Hardene, who like Federer has reached the finals in all four majors this year, was to meet number three Maria Sharapova last night for the women's championship.

Federer has a 10-1 record against Roddick, the lone setback in 2003 on a hard court in Montreal. The Swiss has won both times they have met in grand slam finals, both at Wimbledon.

"Totally different, grass and hard court," said Federer. "I think it's obviously more difficult here because of the crowd and the whole finals situations, playing an American.

"And the only time I lost against him was on a hard court. It wasn't here, but it was on a hard court."

Federer has a 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows and has lost just one set, a tiebreaker, in his six matches on the Open hard courts this year.

Davydenko, a tireless 25-year-old baseliner who has taken just two weeks off this year, has now lost to Federer in all eight career matches.

The Russian was beaten by Federer in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 but this time offered less resistance.

"In Australia, I had control from the baseline but today he was hitting too fast," Davydenko said.

"He was returning (serve) good and played very good from the baseline, forehand and backhand. He played the backhand well. That was surprising. He made no mistakes."

Ninth-seeded Roddick won the Open three years ago but despite reaching two straight Wimbledon finals has failed to capture any grand slams since and slipped out of the world's top 10 this year.

Roddick made just 18 unforced errors in the match but the 54th-ranked, 24-year-old Youzhny took the first set tiebreak 7-5 with some superb all-court play.