Lleyton Hewitt making the final of the San Jose Open was no great surprise but Andy Murray joining him certainly was.

Scottish teenager Murray pulled off the biggest win of his career when he beat world No.3 Andy Roddick 7-5 7-5 in the semi-finals of a tournament the world No.3 had won the previous two years.

Murray's reward was his first clash with former world No.1 Hewitt who comfortably ousted Vince Spadea 6-3 6-4 to reach the final and ensure he regains a top 10 ranking this week.

Murray, 18, has played in one ATP Tour final in his life, losing to Roger Federer in Bangkok late last year.

Six days away from his 25th birthday, Hewitt has played 36 finals, winning 24 including three grand slams.

But Murray has been a rapid riser, climbing 449 spots into the top 100 in his first full year on tour and is now 60th in the world.

And he and Hewitt do have something recent in common - they both lost to Juan Ignacio Chela in early rounds of last month's Australian Open.

Murray dominated former No.1 Roddick with an aggressive all-round performance but admitted he had difficulty handling the situation.

"I was almost a little sick because of nerves but in the end I came though," said Murray after his first win over a top 10 player.

"Beating Roddick in his home country is like a dream come true."

The win inspired him for his clash with Hewitt.

"Now that I've won against a top ranked player it gives me that extra bit of confidence that I can do it," Murray said.

Hewitt, the 2002 champion, is playing his first tournament since injuring his ankle in his Australian Open second round loss and will be playing his first final in almost a year since losing to Federer at Indian Wells last March.

"It's quite a relief," Hewitt said of reaching the final. "I look forward to playing a Sunday championship."

He's been well aware of Murray's progress on the tour.

"I was around him in Wimbledon last year," said Hewitt. "He's a good ball striker and he has a strong head on him as well.

"I think he plays the game smart from the back of the court. He moves exceptionally well around the court for a big guy, and he's dangerous. He varies the pace very well."

Meanwhile, John McEnroe's improbable run to his first doubles title since 1994 continued when the 47-year-old American and Jonas Bjorkman defeated fourth seeds Robert Lindstedt and Jaroslav Levinsky 6-3 4-6 10-8 in the semi-finals.

They will face Paul Goldstein and Jim Thomas in the final.

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