final defeated by Andy Murray 6-2 1-6 6(3)-7

Hewitt said his serve, including a crucial double fault in the third-set tiebreaker, let him down.

"I just wasn't getting any cheap points out there, but to his credit he was hardly missing too many returns," said Hewitt, who had 10 aces and 11 double faults on his serve

Hewitt: "I didn’t serve very well, but to his credit he returned well so I was always under pressure. I didn’t feel like I stepped it up in the first few service games. I just gave him too big a lead in service games which gave him confidence to hit his shots."

"The biggest positive is that I got five great matches under my belt. Coming in here, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to play. So this is a huge positive. I felt better as the week went on and hopefully I’ll get better and better. I’m more confident out there, but I’d like to execute better than I did today…Hopefully I’ll be able to add another dimension to my game so I can get back to that next level."

semifinal defeated Vince Spadea 6-3 6-4

Lleyton Hewitt had little difficulty with his American opponent Saturday at the SAP Open. He may have a shot at another on Sunday. The third seed from Australia, Hewitt advanced to the final of the

$380,000 hardcourt event with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over American Vincent Spadea. Hewitt will face either top-seeded American Andy Roddick or British teen Andy Murray in Sunday's final. Hewitt,

 who is playing here for the first time since beating Andre Agassi for the crown in 2002, improved to 5-0 lifetime against Spadea, whom he beat in three sets in Sydney earlier this year.

quarterfinal defeated Wayne Arthurs 7-6(4) 6-2

Hewitt, who is two wins away from securing his 25th career singles title, pulled out the first-set tiebreaker with a backhand lob and a backhand winner before rolling in the second set.

"I think both of us were serving pretty well throughout the match," said Hewitt, who recorded 14 aces to Arthurs' 19. "I just managed to get through the tiebreaker."

Rd 2 defeated Sam Warburg 6-4 6-3

Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Sam Warburg on Thursday.

The third-seeded Hewitt was down 3-1 in first set when he ripped off 11 of the next 15 points. The Australian has made quick work of two former Stanford stars in his first two matches, beating Paul Goldstein in straight sets Wednesday.

This is the third time in his three appearances at the SAP Open that Hewitt has advanced to the quarterfinals. In 2002, Hewitt defeated Andre Agassi to win the tournament.

Hewitt hurt his left ankle during a second-round loss to Juan Ignacio Chela at last month's Australian Open, but he has shown no effects of the injury so far in the tournament.

"I still feel it out there," he said. "It's just when I jam my foot off during matches. It's something you can't test before a match. So I'm just trying to build it up."

Hewitt finished off Warburg with an ace. Warburg made 20 unforced errors to Hewitt's 12.

Rd 1 defeated Paul Goldstein 6-4 6-2

Third seed Lleyton Hewitt crushed American Paul Goldstein 6-4 6-2 in the SAP Open first round on Wednesday, his first match since the Australian Open.

Mark Philippoussis overcame fourth seed Tommy Robredo 3-6 7-5 7-5 to join his fellow Australian in the second round.

"I'm not quite 100 percent, so it's nice to get through," Hewitt said. "I felt like I moved a lot better in the past. It's a little bit of confidence with pushing off the ankle. Tonight's match was a tough because Paul competes his heart out, especially on a hard court."

The 24-year-od Australian was pushed in the first set by Goldstein's changes of pace, but won the set when he crushed a brilliant forehand down the line.

After dropping the first two games of the second set, Hewitt's game went up to another level while Goldstein had trouble keeping the ball in the court.