Top seed and defending champ
Flavia Pennetta won her eighth straight match in Bogota Friday, overwhelming American
Bethanie Mattek 6-3, 6-1 on the red clay for a berth in the semifinals.
"I lost my concentration a little at 4-1 in the first set, but overall I am very happy because I played a good match," Pennetta. "It was a little easier than I expected, but I knew she was playing well. She had two important victories in her first two rounds, and I was mentally ready for a tough match."
All other matches Friday contained upsets, with Slovak
Ludmila Cervanova ousting No. 2 seed
Gisela Dulko in three sets, No. 8
Maria Sanchez Lorenzo outlasting No. 3
Catalina Castano 6-1 in the third, and No. 6
Lourdes Dominguez Lino straight-setting No. 4
Emilie Loit.
It is the first semifinal for Cervanova in a year, the first in two years for Sanchez Lorenzo, and the first in a year for Dom�uez Lino.
Matching up Saturday are Pennetta vs. Sanchez Lorenzo (Pennetta leads career series 3-0), and Dominguez Lino vs. Cervanova (Cervanova leads 1-0).
