Murray, Blake win London semifinals

LONDON, June 13 (UPI) -- Scotland's Andy Murray and American James Blake were Saturday's semifinal winners at the Aegon Tennis Championships in London.

Murray, the pre-Wimbledon event's top seed, was a 6-2, 6-4 victor against unseeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

The world's third-ranked men's player behind Spain's Rafael Nadal and Switzerland' Roger Federer is attempting to become the first Brit to win this tournament in 71 years since Bunny Austin in 1938.

"I got off to a very good start in the first set, have been serving well all week and managed to keep the pressure on by (again) serving well," Murray said on the WTA Tour's Web site.

He won 25-of-29 points on his first serve.

Blake, the sixth seed, topped four-time Queen's Club champion and countryman Andy Roddick, who retired after spraining his ankle in the first set with the score tied, 4-4.

Sunday's Murray-Blake winner earns $117,000.