Blake, Spaniards Advance at ATP New Haven

Unseeded James Blake kept the American flag flying Friday at the ATP stop in New Haven, with the wildcard and lone remaining U.S. representative outlasting Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 to move into the semifinals.

Also into the semis were two Spaniards in No. 3 seed Dave Ferrer (d. Andreev) and No. 5 Feliciano Lopez (d. countryman Verdasco in three), and unseeded Romanian Victor Hanescu who prevented a third Spaniard from reaching the semis with a grinding 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 4 Tommy Robredo.

"It's always difficult to play against a friend," Lopez said. "We know each other since many years and he knows my game. I know his game, so it's such a difficult match to play. I was lucky that I win."

Hanescu says his hardcourt feel is kicking in just in time for the US Open.

"Usually I am not playing too much on hardcourts because I am -- until now I wasn't used to play on hardcourts," Hanescu said. "We don't have in Romania courts like this, so we have only claycourts and I don't know, this year I start to play better and better on this kind of courts, so I am feeling confident now and I am looking forward for the next matches and also for the US Open."

Lining up for the Friday semis are (WC) Blake vs. Hanescu, and an all-Spanish in (3) Ferrer vs. (5) Lopez.