Clijsters, Moya, Haas Make Saturday Exits

"I hope tomorrow I can win another title, especially being so close to Roland Garros," Gaudio said. "It would be great for the confidence. Against Tommy, we have always played very tough matches. The last time he defeated me was in the final of Barcelona 2004, in five sets."

In the doubles final (3) Frantisek Cermak/Leos Friedl defeated Juan Ignacio Chela/Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4 for their tour-leading fourth title of the year.

Nalbandian Wins, Haas Ousted at ATP Munich

Top-seeded David Nalbandian, playing his first event since the Masters Series-Miami after an extended illness, continued his ever-improving form by steamrolling qualifier Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-0 to reach the final at the ATP claycourt stop in Munich.

"I've been playing very good since the second round," Nalbandian said. "The first round here was very tough, I didn't feel very well. But now I have been playing better and better for every match."

Nalbandian had lost to Nieminen in both their meetings in 2004.

In the final the Argentine will face No. 5 seed Andrei Pavel, who sent the Munich crowd home disappointed with a 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4 grinding win over No. 4 seed and homecountry favorite Tommy Haas.

"Tommy made two easy mistakes with his forehand at the end, which put me into the final. It was such a rollercoaster match, I don't even want to think more about it," Pavel said. "I'm in the final and I'm very happy."

Haas was striving to become the first German to win at Munich since former world No. 2 Michael Stich in 1994.

"Andrei is always tough to play," said Nalbandian on the final. "He plays great tennis so I have to be careful. But I like claycourts and the altitude here makes the ball go faster and I like that."

Clijsters Win Streak Snapped by Kuznetsova at WTA Warsaw

Former No. 1 Kim Clijsters, nursing a sore shoulder from her quarterfinal win Friday, saw her 17-match win streak come to an end Saturday at the WTA stop in Warsaw, wasting a set lead in a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 loss to Russian and current US Open holder Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"This is my best tennis this year," Kuznetsova said. "I'm really excited about it because I didn't start the season how I would like. I can't say I played horrible but I couldn't get the results I wanted."

Clijsters was upbeat after the loss and said the shoulder injury should not keep her out of Berlin next week.

"I can take a lot of positive things out of it and although I lost I'm the most satisfied with this match out of the whole week," Clijsters said. "I'm going to Berlin tonight and I'll have some treatment there. I have to look after it."

Clijsters was shooting for her third consecutive title after coming back from injury with wins at Indian Wells and Miami.

The Belgian won six consecutive games after falling behind 0-2 in the first set, and in the third was up and early break with three game points to go up 3-1 before the wheels came off.

Kuznetsova will face Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, with the Belgian former No. 1 putting down a hard charge from 17-year-old Serb Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 7-5.

The doubles final will be Jans/Rosolska vs. Perebiynis/Strycova.

Shockers Safarova, Li in WTA Estoril Final

Czech qualifier Lucie Safarova, ranked No. 155, shocked No. 3 seed Gisela Dulko, while China's Na Li likewise upset No. 2-seeded Dinara Safina in straight sets Saturday to set up the unlikely final at the WTA stop in Estoril.

It is the first WTA final for Safarova, while Li won her lone title at the tiny Guangzhou event last year.

"I didn't expect to be playing in the final on Sunday when I came to play in the qualifying last week," said the 18-year-old Safarova. "Being in the main draw was already very good for me, but being in the final is fabulous."

Knowing that Safina is no mental giant, Li ground down the impatient Russian with a tenacious baseline display.

"Last night I was thinking about my strategy," said the 23-year-old Li. "I fought for every point and tried to keep my mind very clear about my strategy. I tried to play every point like a key point. I made it difficult for her and she lost patience."

In the Saturday doubles final, China's Ting Li and Tiantian Sun defeated Michaella Krajicek and Henrieta Nagyova 6-3, 6-1 for their first title of the year in their second final.

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Get ready for the rankings plunge from Carlos Moya if the Spaniard pulls from the Masters Series-Rome after injuring his shoulder Saturday in the Estoril semifinals, defending his championship points in Rome next week...Amelie Mauresmo is expected to pull from Berlin next week with her ongoing abdominal injury...Maria Sharapova will take over the No. 1 ranking for the first time with a title next week at Berlin...Jelena Dokic says she is once again considering playing for Australia: "I'd love to go back to Australia, but a lot would depend on the reaction of the fans and the federation," the 22-year-old told The Age. "I don't really know what's going on in Australia anymore. I have my tennis to worry about now, that's my main worry right now. I would consider changing some things. I would like to play in Australia again, but I don't have the ranking to get into any tournaments. I still have my Australian passport. I never gave that up and I could certainly consider taking back the citizenship."...After their problems with getting Alicia Molik and Nicole Pratt to play Fed Cup, Tennis Australia is considering having players sign contracts requiring them to play upon receiving assistance: "There will be player contracts...so that from when a player is 18 years of age and receiving assistance, he or she will be obliged to represent Australia," Fed Cup captain John Alexander told The Age. "We used to call it the '(Jelena) Dokic deal' when we talked about it, the need for a player contract to bind them to playing for Australia, or at least not allowing them to play for another country. We never thought we would have to do the same for our home-grown, home-born players because it's always been understood that the ultimate reward in your career would be to represent your country. But this is a new professional age we're moving into." Sounds like Jelena will be real welcome.