Roddick tried for an encore Friday night, but Davydenko stole the show, winning 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open.
Roddick was coming off an emotional victory the night before, when he ended his streak of 11 consecutive losses to top-ranked Roger Federer. This time it was the No. 4-seeded Davydenko with the breakthrough
- Roddick was 5-0 against him previously.
"That's probably the best he's played against me," said Roddick, who was philosophical about his roller-coaster 24 hours.
"I'll choose to leave here looking at the positive. I'm obviously disappointed tonight. But to have a win like I did over Roger was big for me, and hopefully that will stick with me a little bit more."
Davydenko's opponent in the final Sunday will be No. 2-seeded Rafael Nadal, who beat Tomas Berdych 7-6 (6), 6-2.
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In the women's final Saturday, Serena Williams seeks her fifth Key Biscayne title and second in a row when she plays No. 4-seeded Jelena Jankovic.
"I've played a great tournament," Williams said. "I'm just happy to be still in it and doing the best I can do. As long as I'm doing the right thing on the court, I feel like I can come out on top, but I just have to make sure I'm doing what's right."
Roddick was forced into grinding rallies by Davydenko, who chased down shots all over the court and served well, facing only one break point. Standing 6 feet behind the baseline, the Russian began reading Roddick's booming serves in the tiebreaker, when he won the final four points served by Roddick.
In the second set Davydenko rallied from a break down to sweep the final five games, breaking Roddick three times in a row.
"If I come in a little bit to start to returning, I have no chance. It's too fast," Davydenko said. "It doesn't matter how you return
- just in the court, and then you try your best."
Davydenko has been playing under a cloud because of an ATP investigation into heavy and odd wagering on an otherwise insignificant match he played in Poland last August. Davydenko says he did nothing wrong, and he has criticized the ATP for not reaching a resolution in the case.
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"I feel good now," he said. "I forget really everything."
He's the first Russian man to reach the Key Biscayne final, and he's seeking his first tournament title this year. He said he's playing well because he changed rackets before the event, and has used the same racket in all five rounds.
"It has a little bit more string, and I have more control," he said.
The 5-foot-10 Davydenko lost only five points on his first serve. Typical of his serving dominance was the eighth game, when he fell behind love-15, then won the next four points with two service winners and two aces.
"The thing about him you normally don't see is the way he served tonight," Roddick said.