With his hopes of advancing to another Wimbledon final dwindling as he faced break point against fellow "aging" veteran Lleyton Hewitt in the fifth set of the quarterfinals this afternoon, Andy Roddick pulled off perhaps the finest shot of his career.

After Hewitt returned a solid serve low to a net-charging Roddick, the sixth seeded American reached down and struck a remarkable half volley and then finished the point with a difficult overhead while running backwards. Roddick went on to win the game and the match 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.

After withstanding the inspired and spirited Australian, Roddick will now take on that other Andy (Murray) and the entire United Kingdom, which is in a state of rapture over the temperamental Scot, in the semifinals on Friday afternoon.

The other semifinal counts another battle-scarred veteran in its cast as 31 year-old Tommy Haas continued his improbable run of superb tennis with a decisive four set victory over a deeply disappointed Novak Djokovic. Haas' reward of course is a date with The Roger. But don't count Haas out completely. He did have Fed down two sets to none in Paris before Federer hit an otherworldly inside-out forehand while down a break point in the third set (that shot is the reason why Federer ended up winning his first French title).

But Roddick should be allowed to savor his victory today. Hewitt and Roddick are indeed linked as the forgotten men in this era of Federer. Remember - it was this duo, not the great Rafa Nadal, that were supposed to be the chief obstacles during the Swiss maestro's reign. But the Grand Slam titles have been scarce - Hewitt's two came in 2001 and 2002 and Roddick's sole Slam title was the US Open in 2003 - and are in the distant past for both of these dogged competitors. After he achieved the number one ranking at the end of 2003, few would have believed the ensuing paucity of hardware in his trophy case.

Additionally, Roddick has not always been the easiest player to root for. With his powerful but predictable serves, inconsistent footwork, a suspect backhand and a mediocre record against top five players, Roddick has yielded more disappointment than glory. And when he has reached the finals of majors on three other occasions (twice at Wimbledon and once at the US Open), he has been brushed aside with little difficulty by Federer.

But today's encounter on the unusually sun baked centre court was special. Aside from the closeness and dramatic nature of today's match, what made it so gratifying for fans of the hard serving Texan was the manner in which he triumphed.

Yes, he served brilliantly. His cannon-like deliveries produced a remarkable 42 aces, his personal high. And he served particularly well during close games. But what proved to be the most fulfilling aspect to his win was what hadn't been on such display in the past, namely finesse.

Roddick frustrated Hewitt with low, biting slices that produced a multitude of unforced errors from the former world number one. He also didn't try to over-hit his forehand, opting instead to hit with a margin of error to open up the court and end the point with well placed touch volleys throughout the match. And for good measure he tossed up a superb running lob on a key point. It was the kind of strategy one wishes he had implemented more frequently these past five years.

And then there was The Shot. Perhaps it was lucky. Watching a replay of that half volley in the fifth set, Roddick was not in the best position but he stayed low and stuck it. And more importantly he finished the point. Backwards-running overheads are never an easy shot and he may well have been wise to let it drop but Roddick's footwork was perfect and after the point ended, one just felt that the match would go his way.

But will Roddick have enough game to defeat the pre-tournament favorite Murray, who was utterly dominant in his quarterfinal victory over yet another veteran and former number one, Juan Carlos Ferrero? He'll have to serve at least just as well because Murray is one of the finest returners in the game. Murray will also look to wrong-foot Roddick as Hewitt did several times today. And that newfound, biting slice of Roddick's will not be nearly as effective against Murray who is able to redirect spin with ease.

It'd no doubt be a major upset if the battle of the Andy's resulted in a win for the American. But there's no question that if he plays as intelligently and executes as successfully as he did against Hewitt, Roddick will do himself - and his legacy - proud no matter what the outcome.