RODDICK AND RADEK

The SAP Open has come down to two players willing to express their emotions on the court - Andy Roddick, the American with the powerful serve and Type A temperament, and Radek Stepanek, the Czech with the unpredictable game and fondness for performing The Worm.

The Worm?

After beating Robby Ginepri 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday, Stepanek flopped to the ground and gyrated every which way on his belly, his routine after winning big matches. He hopes for an encore after today's final with Roddick, who beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 (2), 6-1 in Saturday's other semifinal.

Stepanek  couldn't care less that his mannerisms are goofy or that his personality can tick off opponents. After all, we're talking about the guy who once was the future Mr. Martina Hingis and now apparently is the future Mr. Nicole Vaidisova.

At least that's what the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald reported, after the couple recently applied for a marriage license in Florida. Stepanek, 29, is a decade older than Vaidisova, whose occupation and Czech origin are like Stepanek's. He broke off his engagement to Hingis last summer shortly before she announced she tested positive for cocaine and retired from tennis, claiming innocence through it all.

Stepanek avoids discussing his social life, but he's not shy about his tennis game. He's quick and athletic and loves to attack the net, where he beat Ginepri several times with nifty backhands and leaping forehands.

"My advantage is, I can change from game to game," Stepanek said. "I can serve and volley. I can play from the back. I can slice the ball. I can mix it up with some drop shots. I think that's what's dangerous for my opponents."

The better Stepanek did, the wackier his expressions got - tongue flicks followed big points - and then there was The Worm, which he first performed at a party a few years back and was so impressed with himself that he decided to demonstrate it at tournaments.

"I'm being totally serious. That's disgusting," Roddick said. "I don't want to see it."

Stepanek hasn't performed it on Roddick's watch. They've played three matches, and Roddick won them all.

Excuse Stepanek for being so demonstrative. He's genuinely happy to be here after nearly being forced out of the sport with a serious neck injury and temporarily losing feeling in his right arm, coming after he rose to No. 8 in the world in 2006. He's now 34th in the rankings.

"I once tried to play a match without showing one emotion, good or bad," Stepanek said. "I lost.