Federer Squeaks Into Tokyo Semis; Dementieva Injured

It was both player's second match of the day due to rain yesterday. Earlier, Henman disposed of Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 7-6(3), 6-3, while Ancic overcame Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

"It's an unusual situation," Henman said. "I haven't played two matches in one day for a long time. But I thought I played very, very well this morning and I played even better in the evening. I felt very good. I think the condition of the court and the balls are really perfect for me. I feel like I can play aggressively and get forward to the net a lot and that's when I'm playing my best tennis."

Djokovic, Frenchmen Into Metz Semis

Fast-rising Novak Djokovic will be joined by two Frenchman and an Austrian in the final four at the ATP stop in Metz, France.
 
The third-seeded Djokovic had little trouble is defeating Tobias Clemens 6-4, 6-1 Friday in 59 minutes to move into his fourth tour semifinal of the season where he'll face French veteran Sebastien Grosjean, who ousted good friend and doubles partner Arnaud Clement 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 20 minutes.
 
Grosjean, who started the season reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and semis in Marseille, has been a bust the second half of the season, winning only two matches in four events since Wimbledon.
 
French wildcard Marc Gicquel moved into his first career ATP semifinal when he defeated countryman Florent Serra 6-4, 7-5.
For the effort the 28-year-old Gicquel will face Jurgen Melzer, who posted his ninth consecutive win by overcoming Mardy Fish 1-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Kuzy v Petrova in All-Russian Stuttgart Semi

STUTTGART, Germany -- Svetlana Kuznetsova hit double digits in her post-US Open win streak on Friday, clobbering an in-form Jelena Jankovic, 64 61, to reach the final four at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Also making it to the semifinals were fellow Top 10 players Nadia Petrova and Patty Schnyder and an unseeded Tatiana Golovin.

Kuznetsova continued to show her impressive fall form against Jankovic, dominating her service games (she won 75% of points on her delivery), and breaking Jankovic's serve a total of four times in the match. It was her 10th straight win following a loss to the young Serb in the fourth round of the US Open; the Russian won eight matches in claiming titles at Bali and Beijing since, a double that helped her qualify for the upcoming Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid.

"I'm very happy with the way I played this match today," Kuznetsova said after the match. "I had to raise my level today and I did. Also, I went on to the court knowing I lost to her the last time at the US Open and I wanted to change this."

Having begun the season ranked No.14, Kuznetsova has compiled a slew of solid showings, and just recently returned to her career-high No.4 spot. Among those showings are the aforementioned Bali and Beijing runs, her first Tier I (at Miami) and a runner-up finish at Roland Garros. This is her 12th semifinal of the year.

"It's very important to me to play well at this time of the year as I haven't done that before, but now I'm taking everything I do very professionally, making sure I prepare in the right ways, and I think it's working out to my advantage."

Jankovic was coming off a two-and-a-half hour Thursday victory against qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova, and appeared to be struggling with fatigue. She had won 39 of her last 52 matches coming into the quarters, including a string of Top 10 wins at the US Open, and was definitely a dangerous threat to Kuznetsova's streak.

Petrova, Golovin win; Dementieva withdraws

Next up for Kuznetsova will be Petrova, the No.4 seed this week, who took care of unseeded Daniela Hantuchova, 62 64. The Russian blasted seven aces and overcame a 3-1 second set deficit in notching her third consecutive straight set victory over the Slovak, who was coming off an upset over new Top 10 player Dinara Safina. Now, a revitalized Petrova reaches her first semifinal since winning the Tier I title in Berlin towards the end of the clay court season.

"I definitely played my best tennis of the week today; I was serving really well and taking control of the points," said Petrova, who will not only go up against her compatriot's win streak on Saturday, but also an 0-2 head-to-head. "I finally feel I'm getting my confidence back. I'm very excited to be in the semis here."

The quickest win of the day went to Tatiana Golovin, who beat Michaella Krajicek, 61 62, in a battle between unseeded teens. Golovin was particularly devastating on return and in the rallies, taking control of the points with her big forehand and using her agility to track down just about anything Krajicek could throw at her.

"I started off really well and felt very confident today," Golovin said. "My level went down a bit in the second set. It's hard to maintain the same level throughout the match. But I really enjoy playing here. The crowd really knows its tennis, and it's a blast to play. Going into my semifinal, I'm going to have to step it up and play my best tennis to win."

Golovin will next play No.5 seed Patty Schnyder, who advanced when No.3 seed Elena Dementieva withdrew from the event due to a left quadriceps strain.

"I'm very disappointed to have to pull out after playing so hard to win my match on Wednesday," said Dementieva, who endured a marathon three-setter with Katarina Srebotnik to reach the quarters. "The cramping really affected my left thigh, and now I have injured it. Having a day off yesterday made it even harder to recover and now I find it hard to move without pain. I'm really sad for the fans here, and myself too, as this is always such a great tournament. All the top players want to play in Stuttgart, having moved to this terrific venue."

Golovin and Schnyder will play for the third time, the Swiss winning their two prior meetings, at Gold Coast last year (36 64 63) and Stanford just a few months ago (76(4) 61). This will be their first encounter on an indoor hardcourt.

Semifinal Saturday kicks off at 1:15pm local time with Golovin against Schnyder, with Petrova against Kuznetsova to follow directly afterwards. The doubles semis follow after that.
-- WTA

Bartoli Last Seed Standing at WTA Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan -- After rain wiped out most of Thursday's schedule, those left in the AIG Japan Open draw were forced to double up Friday if they wanted to make the semifinals. Four managed to step it up but for the most part, not those anyone would have guessed.

Marion Bartoli, the top seed, completed a 62 64 second round win over Vera Dushevina, then crushed qualifier Junri Namigata, 62 61, to make her third semifinal appearance since the US Open, having reached the final in Bali and the semis last week in Seoul.

The Frenchwoman's projected final opponent, No.2 seed and two-time former champion Ai Sugiyama, was not so fortunate. Having won her second round match on Thursday before the rains came, the Japanese veteran was stunned by 17-year-old Taiwanese Chan Yung-Jan, 63 64. Sugiyama, an overwhelming crowd favorite when playing in her home country, was dejected after the loss, her worst in terms of ranking since Roland Garros.

"I'm not happy about the quality of my play," she said. "It was a combination of physical and mental conditions affecting each other, resulting in unsatisfactory performance. Chan was moving well and I was not. It was a difficult match."

"I thought it was an excellent match," said the 132nd-ranked Chan, who had never won a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles main draw match before this week. "This will be my first semifinal, I'm so happy. The key to my win today was my focus and mental toughness. I served and returned okay and didn't make many mistakes. I knew the crowd would be making a lot of noise for her so I had to try hard to block them out. I knew I had to do that to win."

The always-gracious Sugiyama had kind words for her conqueror.

"She has been playing well during the week. I knew about her. She has quick footwork, and fought with a nothing-to-lose spirit. She has good backhand, and we probably play in a similar style. But more than that, I should say that she has the vitality and the spirit which I always had."

Japanese hopes stayed alive through another player, however. Aiko Nakamura, who received a wild card into the main draw, won her second round match when No.4 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues retired with a left hamstring strain, then squeaked out a 61 16 76(4) victory over Jamea Jackson to reach her very first career Tour singles semifinal.

"I was a little sad we had to play at another site today because of rain, because I really wanted to play at Ariake stadium where all the fans were," said Nakamura, who found herself having to fight back from 2-0 down in the third versus Jackson. "I played tough in the third so I could come back here tomorrow for the semifinal. It will be my first semifinal and I'm really excited. It feels so good to win."

Also winning through to the final four was French qualifier Camille Pin, who won two three-setters, over qualifier Lilia Osterloh and lucky loser Youlia Fedossova, to reach just her second career semifinal.

Both semifinals will take the Ariake Coliseum on Saturday. Bartoli and Pin play for the fifth time, Bartoli leading that series, 3-1 (in their only prior 2006 meeting, Bartoli prevailed, 60 62, at Wimbledon). Nakamura and Chan have faced each other once previously, with the Japanese winning at an ITF event last year.
-- WTA

Top-seeded Camerin, Mirza Losers at Tashkent

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Two players were given earlier-than-expected dismissals, while another chapter was written in one of the great comeback stories of the season, as the quarterfinals took the court at the $145,000, Tier IV Tashkent Open on Friday.

The tournament's top seed, Maria Elena Camerin, was handed a crushing defeat by unseeded Belarussian phenom Victoria Azarenka, losing 60 61, in just 55 minutes. Azarenka, who has enjoyed victories so far this year against Nicole Vaidisova, Jelena Jankovic and Anastasia Myskina, pounded serves and groundstrokes to perfection in what was the pair's first ever encounter on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

"She played unbelievable," said Camerin, who jokingly raised her arms into the air after finally getting on the board in the third-to-last game of the match.

"I had a perfect game," said Azarenka. "After she held serve she got confident, so I had to be ready to stay there."

Although she was able to put up more of a fight, No.3 seed Sania Mirza was also sent packing, dropping a streaky 64 46 60 decision to an in-form No.6 seed Olga Poutchkova. Mirza showed some of the fighting spirit that has taken her as high as No.31 in the world, clawing her way back from a 4-0, 40-0 hole in the second set to even it up; but the Indian star then displayed some of the inconsistency that has pushed her outside of the Top 50 this year, losing six games in a row.

"Sometimes you don't get used to the conditions, and then you don't win," Mirza said. "The balls were flying, and I just didn't get to feel them on my racquet. I haven't been feeling the ball in any of my matches here."

Poutchkova, who was ranked outside of the Top 100 just one month ago at the US Open, has skyrocketed all the way up to No.58 in the last four weeks, after reaching the quarterfinals of Bali, the final at Kolkata and another quarterfinal at Guangzhou. Now, she is the highest seed left here, as of the semifinal stage.

Next up for the Russian teen will be Uzbek star Iroda Tulyaganova, who powered past Kateryna Bondarenko, 61 62. Tulyaganova, a wild card into this event, was ranked as high as No.16 in the world just a few years back before her momentum was curtailed by various injury and off-court struggles. But in her first Tour event of the season two weeks ago she made a shock run to the Tier III Kolkata semis, and now finds herself in the final four for the second time in two tries.

"It was easier than I expected," Tulyaganova said of her win over Bondarenko. "She was making too many mistakes and couldn't put the ball in court. But I'm glad that I was able to keep my concentration."

Poutchkova and Tulyaganova clash for the second time in two weeks; they played in the aforementioned Kolkata tournament's semifinals, where the Russian teen won, 64 64, but not without a second set struggle, where the Uzbek fought back from 4-2 down and had a chance to go up 5-4 before losing the last two games.

Next up for Azarenka will be China's Sun Tiantian, who beat No.8-seeded Russian Anastassia Rodionova, 61 63. Both Azarenka and Sun are into their career-first Tour singles semifinals.

The doubles tournament came to an abbreviated ending on Friday. Azarenka and Tatiana Poutchek won the day's first semifinal, 76(6) 61, over Stephanie Dubois and Alla Kudryavtseva. Camerin and Emmanuelle Gagliardi were handed a walkover from Chan Chin-Wei and Tamarine Tanasugarn in Friday's second semifinal, after Tanasugarn suffered a left ankle sprain. Finally, Azarenka and Poutchek were also given a walkover after Camerin pulled out of the event with her own ankle sprain, to the right ankle, suffered in her singles warm-up.

Azarenka and Poutchek were playing together for the second time, having won an ITF Circuit event together last November, at a $75,000 event in Tucson, Arizona. The Tashkent title was Azarenka's first of any kind on the Tour; it was Poutchek's third, having also won the doubles in the Uzbek capital in 2002 and 2003.
-- WTA

Larsson, Ferreira Favorites for Senior Memphis Final

There's a new favorite in town on the Outback Champions Tour as Swede Magnus Larsson, making his tour debut this week in Memphis, on Friday defeated Todd Martin 6-3, 6-4 to up his round-robin record to 2-0, putting him one win from the final.

"I can still serve pretty well but not quite like I used too," Larsson said. "Today I did pretty well, but tomorrow I may double fault 20 times...In the second (set) Todd picked his game up a little bit, but I got a few breaks and was able to get the win."

Standing between Larsson and the final will be Aaron Krickstein, who raised his round robin record to 1-1 Friday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Pat Cash.

"I really like the pool format we use on in the series," said Krickstein, who benefited from Cash suffering a dodgy ankle. "Even if you come out with a bad opening match, you still have a chance to play your way back in and make the championship match or the third place match...I tried out a new racquet on Wednesday, and I really lost confidence about half way through the second set. Today I served much better, and obviously when you out serve your opponent you have a better chance to win points."

Wayne Ferreira became the favorite to meet Larsson in the final with a 7-5, 6-2 stunner over Jim Courier, while John McEnroe kept his hopes alive with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Mats Wilander.

Scheduled for Saturday are Wilander vs. Ferreira, Martin vs. Cash, Larsson vs. Krickstein, and a blockbuster in McEnroe vs. Courier.

WORLD SENIOR RANKINGS presented by Tennis-X.com
(Top 10 through Oct. 1, 2006)

1. Marcelo Rios (2000 pts.)
2. John McEnroe (1090)
3. Jim Courier (1000)
4. Sergi Bruguera (990)
5. Thomas Muster (875)
6. Cedric Pioline (850)
7. Pat Cash (750)
8. Todd Martin (650)
9. Goran Ivanisevic (575)
10. Richard Krajicek (480)

The Tennis-X.com World Senior Rankings is a cumulative ranking for senior tour players combining results from the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions in Europe, and the Outback Champions Series in the U.S.

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From the Ai Sugiyama blog: "I'm really close with my sister, Mai, a professional golfer. When I'm at home, I watch her lessons, go to the golf ranch, maybe hit some balls too. She lives at my parents' house, just 15 minutes away from me. I like to spend time there with the family and my dog. I have a 10-year-old Golden Retriever, Terry. He's named after a Japanese cartoon character. My sister and dad take care of him. I can't really take care of him because I travel so much, but when I have time, I go to my parents' house to see him. He was a gift from the coach of Yone Kamio, a former Japanese player."..From the Roger Federer blog: "As you probably noticed, I am playing again with a collared-shirt, which I am happy about, as it's nice to change it up once in a while. I had been wearing t-shirts for some time but now but both Nike and I thought we should change it up a bit. I have had many fans write me about a t-shirt I wore during practice the other day. It was blue t-shirt Nike made for the US Open and they borrowed the theme of James Bond and instead of the "Man with the Golden Gun", they wrote that "Roger Federer is the Man with the Golden Racquet." You can see my shadow and the text in the shirt. Nike made it in different colours and I think it looks really great. I have always been a James Bond junkie....tell me how cool that guy is???? I am very psyched as next Friday I will be flying to Barcelona before the Madrid tournament to film a Nike commercial. Like a true James Bond mission, I can't tell you the theme of the commercial as it is top secret, but it will feature a few Nike athletes in a campaign that will be exclusive to the Asia-Pacific region, so all my fans in Japan and throughout Asia should get a chance to see it at the beginning of 2007."...Tennis.com blogger Peter Bodo is not a fan of the Roger Federer blog: "Roger Federer certainly seems to be the flavor de jour, partly because of his blog. I've found the blog interesting, but less for its contents (which are amusing enough) than for its sensibility. The Mighty Fed -- UN Ambassador, James Bond impersonator, prankster, toilet connoisseur, budding interior decorator, Name-taking, butt-kicking tennis champion -- comes off as lacking the outstanding quality that his general persona suggests: sophistication. Does anyone else thing there's a borderline goofy "Gee, whiz!" quality to the TMF's literary efforts? I suppose this could be a matter of (writing) style. but the quality called "tone" is something that's hard to either affect or stage-manage, especially for an amateur auteur. If you can blank out the fact that this is TMF, candidate for Greatest Player of All Time, writing, and you dialed down the upscale peripherals, exchanged the princes and kings for students and teacher-chaperones, the exclusive restaurants for cafeterias, the sake for the clandestinely consumed bottle of beer (it made me jump out of bed with nightmares!), this could be an email home from a wide-eyed 16-year old on a class trip to Japan."...From PRnewswire: "Tennis legend Andre Agassi recognized long-time partner MGM MIRAGE today when he named the multipurpose building at The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy (AACPA) in the company's honor. The newly named MGM MIRAGE Building is the site of various activities, including school assemblies and community functions, as well as music instruction and dance and tumbling classes taught by representatives from the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil. The 27,000-square-foot building also houses the school's cafeteria that serves 500 meals daily."

Also see:
Half of Top 15 WTA Players Injured -- Problem? Nah!
http://www.tennis-x.com/vachblog/2006-10-06/10.php