Defending champion Stepanek advances to Brisbane International final

Stepanek advances to Brisbane final

BRISBANE, Australia — Defending champion Radek Stepanek has reached the men’s final of the Brisbane International after easily beating Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-1.

Monfils seemed dazed by some of Stepanek’s returns Saturday, shaking his head in disbelief several times and tapping his racket against his forehead during the hour-long semifinal on Saturday.

Trailing 5-0 in the second set, Monfils looked upward and smiled when he finally won his first game of the set.

Top-seeded Andy Roddick was scheduled to play fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych in a later semifinal Saturday, with the winner to face Stepanek on Sunday’s at Pat Rafter Arena.