Ljuby Rolls; Rios Rocks; Davenport Done? WTA Admits Injury Problem

Blake, Resurgent Johansson Into Stockholm Semis

Top seed James Blake edged past No. 6 seed Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 for a place in the Stockholm semifinals on Friday.

Blake, the defending champion, whacked 16 aces in the win, and set himself up with a Saturday showdown against No. 8 seed Robin Soderling, a 6-2, 6-3 victor over No. 3 seed Tomas Berdych.

In the other semifinal, No. 5 seed Jarkko Nieminen will face surprise Swedish wildcard Joachim Johasson. Nieminen defeated Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4 while Johansson, who is playing his first ATP-level tournament since San Jose in February following right shoulder and elbow injuries, sent home Belgian Kristof Vliegen 6-7(5), 7-5(5), 7-6(7).

Davydenko, Safin Into Moscow Semis

Top seed and 2004 champion Nikolay Davydenko advanced to the semifinals in Moscow Friday after a 6-3, 7-5 win over Max "The Beast" Mirnyi.

"The second set was really tough," Davydenko said of the net-rushing Beast. "I could not break him until 6-5, when he finally missed some first serves and I took advantage of that."

Davydenko will now challenge No. 7 seed Fabrice "The Magician" Santoro of France, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-5.

"Santoro will not be like Mirnyi, he plays more from the baseline, he mixes it up, but if I play well I have good chances to win," said Davydenko.

In the bottom half Marat Safin beat Janko Tipsarevic 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 for a semifinal meeting against fellow Russian Igor Kunitsyn. Safin has played nine times at the Kremlin Cup, with semifinal appearances in 2000 and 2002.

"It wasn't easy, Tipsarevic is a good player and is very fast on the court," Safin said. "I really had to go my limits to come through."

Kunitsyn replicated last year's run to the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Arnaud Clement of France.

There are three Russian players in the semifinals for the second consecutive year. It had never happened before last year (tournament started in 1990).

Rios Pounding Wimbledon Champs at Seniors Eindhoven

So far the theory that the fast-court specialists on the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions would take it to the undefeated Marcelo Rios this week on the slick indoor courts in Eindhoven, The Netherlands has proved false.

First it was Pat Cash going down meekly in straight sets to the Chilean.

On Friday it was another former Wimbledon champ in Michael Stich, with the German earning only four games in a 6-2, 6-2 beating.

Before the event began, homecountry favorite and yet another former Wimbledon champ Richard Krajicek bragged that with the proper preparation, and the hiring of his old coach, he would be the one to break Rios' streak of five straight tournament titles in 2006.

"He's just warming up against these guys -- 6-1, 6-3 and 6-2, 6-2, whereas I've been lucky to even win my matches," said Krajicek, who edged Cash Friday 10-6 in a final-set tiebreak. "It's looking pretty bad for me."

Krajicek is nonetheless 2-0 in round robin play, and the winner of his match with Rios on Saturday will advance to the final.

Goran Ivanisevic (d. Paul Haarhuis 10-6 in the third) and Wayne Ferreira (d. Leconte 6-4, 6-4) also kept their round robin records perfect, and the winner of their meeting Saturday will move into the final.

"When I lost the first set I thought, like usual, Paul is going to win," Ivanisevic said. "I lost count of the times he has beaten me -- he always causes me problems. This time, I won, and now that I beat him I achieved my goal for the week. It doesn't matter what happens now."

Other matches Saturday in the final round of round robin play are Haarhuis vs. Leconte, and Cash vs. Stich.

Moscow Suffers as Mauresmo Upset, Sharapova Injured

MOSCOW, Russia -- Russian fans will have lots to cheer about Saturday, after three of their own etched their names into the Kremlin Cup semifinal line-up on Friday. Czech teen Nicole Vaidisova was the only player from another country to reach the final four at the Tier I event, and she certainly made her way there in world-beating style.

For the second time this season, Vaidisova toppled the world's top player, coming back from match point down on three different occasions to pull off a 16 75 76(3) victory over Amelie Mauresmo. The No.8-seeded Czech found herself trailing 5-2 in the second set but hung tough, coming within one point of defeat down 5-2 and 5-4 before roaring back and smacking an ace to force a third and deciding set.

The decider was just as streaky as the rest of the match. Vaidisova went ahead 3-1 and 4-2 only to see Mauresmo get the set back on serve; the Frenchwoman held another match point with Vaidisova serving 5-6, but again failed to convert. The tie-break was no contest, as one of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's youngest and brightest stars found the range on her devastating serve and ground game.

"It's disappointing," said Mauresmo, who was coming off a third set tie-break win against another young player, Elena Vesnina, in her first match of the tournament on Thursday. "The thing about tie-breaks is it's about taking your opportunities. I did that yesterday, but obviously not today. I think it's also very important to be physically fresh at the end of the match, but that also wasn't the case today."

The victory represents Vaidisova's second over a reigning No.1 player, having had her first over the Frenchwoman at Roland Garros, in May. It is also her first Top 10 win since, having dropped her last three matches with the game's elite.

"I definitely started the match very badly, but at 5-2 I told myself I had to play better or lose," Vaidisova said after the match. "Once I got into the third set, I had some opportunities and even had a break. Even though I lost that break, I managed to stay positive and kept fighting, and that's why I won today."

Joining Mauresmo on the sidelines was No.2 seed Maria Sharapova, who was forced to withdraw prior to her match against compatriot Anna Chakvetadze due to a right foot strain. The withdrawal sent Chakvetadze, who just a few weeks ago won her maiden title in Guangzhou, into her second career Tier I semifinal.

"I hurt my foot in my match Wednesday and since then I did everything possible to be ready for today, but when I woke up this morning it was obvious I wasn't going to be able to play," said Sharapova, who beat Ekaterina Bychkova on Wednesday. "I'm disappointed because I felt I was playing really well lately."

"I'm disappointed not to play, especially with Maria here in Russia," Chakvetadze said. "I'll try to use my time off to relax and get ready for my semifinal match. I have played Dementieva before and she has beaten me every time, but I'm a stronger player now and I think I have a chance to win."

Dementieva, Petrova join teens in final four

Awaiting the two aforementioned phenoms in the final four are two experienced Top 10 players, Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova. No.4-seeded Dementieva beat one of her closest rivals, No.6 seed Patty Schnyder, 76(6) 76(1), while the No.5-seeded Petrova stopped unseeded compatriot Vera Zvonareva, 75 61. It was the seventh straight match win for Petrova, who won in Stuttgart last week.

"With two tie-break sets you have to get lucky; I was a bit lucky on some points today," said Dementieva, now 6-6 against Schnyder. "It's really important right now to get as many points as possible for the Sony Ericsson Championships as there are a few of us fighting for the last spots, so it's really important for me to get as far into this tournament as possible."

"I'm getting better with every match; last week's title has obviously given me lots of confidence," said Petrova, who will play Vaidisova. "It's great to be in the semifinals here in Moscow, my home town, so I hope just hope I can keep going."

Petrova and Vaidisova are tied 1-1 in their head-to-head series. Petrova won the first meeting at the US Open last year, 76(4) 75, but Vaidisova gained revenge in the Bangkok final a year ago, winning 61 67(5) 75.

Dementieva and Chakvetadze will also be playing for the third time, but the more experienced Dementieva leads the series, 2-0. She won at the 2005 Australian Open easily, 62 61, but then was forced to fight back from a 3-0 deficit in the 2005 US Open to win, 61 46 76(5).

"She has a day off so she should be fresh," added Dementieva on Chakvetadze. "She's improved a lot since the last time we played; I expect a tough match."
-- WTA

King Gives U.S. Women Hope with Bangkok Break-out

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Three Sony Ericsson WTA Tour veterans and one of its promising future stars all survived the unpredictable weather Friday to claim spots in Saturday's semifinals at the Tier III PTT Bangkok Open.

The most dramatic victory of the day went to No.9 seed Severine Bremond, who twice battled back from the brink of defeat to oust the highest-ranked woman remaining in the draw, No.5 seed Eleni Daniilidou, 46 76(5) 63.

Having lost their only prior meeting relatively easily, Bremond looked to be on the verge of another defeat, as Daniilidou broke to go up 5-3 in the second set. But the 27-year-old Frenchwoman kept the pressure on, breaking back, saving a match point in the next game, and finally rallying back from a 5-1 deficit in the tie-break to push the match to a third set. Despite a rain delay that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours, Bremond kept her cool and closed it out, earning a spot in her first semifinal.

"To be honest, I couldn't tell you about the match point and the tie-break; I can barely remember them," Bremond said. "I just kept telling myself to focus on the points, then to be more aggressive, and that's what turned it around."

Bremond had been 0-5 in quarterfinals prior to this tournament, including a career milestone at Wimbledon, where she reached that round at a Grand Slam event for the first time. She also cracked the Top 50 recently. It has been a good second half of the season for the seasoned Frenchwoman.

"I'm very excited. Although I did reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, this is still very special. The most important thing for me right now is to rest, I've played all three set matches and doubles as well. I'm tired right now!"

Awaiting Bremond in the semifinals will be Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn, an easy 60 62 winner over Austria's Sybille Bammer Friday. Tanasugarn pummelled the crafty Bammer with solid, flat groundstrokes to win in just 54 minutes and reach her first semifinal since Tokyo [Japan Open] in 2004, over two years ago.

"I want to thank my fans for their support -- it really lifted me up," Tanasugarn said. "Even after thunder and heavy rain, so many people stayed and supported me. It was a fantastic feeling."

Bremond and and Tanasugarn will be playing for the first time.

"I know Bremond's playing well," Tanasugarn added. "She's up-and-coming and her form has been good ever since Wimbledon. It's going to be tough but I am excited to be in the semis of Bangkok; I'll play my game and fight hard."

Shaughnessy, King set up all-American affair

The other semifinal will feature a pair of Americans, one a veteran and one a talented teenager, but both in the hunt for a berth in the Bangkok final.

Meghann Shaughnessy, the No.6 seed and a two-time Tour titlist already this season, took out last week's Tokyo [Japan Open] runner-up Aiko Nakamura, 62 64, to reach her third semifinal of the season. The 27-year-old has been to this round twice before in 2006, winning titles at Rabat and Forest Hills.

"Nakamura has been playing well, reaching the final last week in Tokyo, so today was a good win for me," Shaughnessy said. "I tried to dictate with my serve and return, so that she didn't run me around too much."

Seventeen-year-old Californian Vania King had the most comprehensive victory of the day, ousting No.8 seed and doubles partner Jelena Kostanic, 61 61. It was no contest from start to finish, as the confident teenager dictated play with her solid groundstrokes and sharp court movement. It took one hour, 13 minutes.

"I'm playing really well," King said. "Playing Kostanic was very strange. We warmed up together today before the match, talked about it and decided we had done that every day this week, so why change? I felt a little awkward to play aggressive against her then I thought I'd be pretty insulted if she didn't play her best against me so I just went out there and played."

Shaughnessy and King will also be playing for the first time.

"She must be doing something right," Shaughnessy added. "She's young. and an up-and-coming American; I hope my experience comes through. I'm feeling very confident, playing well and it'd be nice to win a third title this year. Tomorrow's going to be tough though and I'll have to concentrate on that."

"I've never played her before," King said. "I know she's a good player and she's been very highly ranked, also she's had a pretty good year. Like every match I'll stick to my game and if I play this well, it'll be a good match."
-- WTA

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
The WTA Tour on Friday finally addressed the runaway injury problems on the women's tennis tour, confirming that injuries and tournament pull-outs have skyrocketed. "It's never been so severe," said WTA CEO Larry Scott, who last year called the injuries a "fluke" for the second consecutive season. "It's created a new sense of urgency and a need to address these issues for the health of the sport." In 2006, Top 10 withdrawals from the top level of WTA events increased from 14 to 33, with the tour failing to even once supply the promised six or more Top 10 players to Tier I events. To curtail the problem the WTA, in line with their Roadmap 2010 plan, look to implement: "Shortened season, ending in October; Periodization -- more breaks for top players after Grand Slams; Reduction in number of Tour tournaments top players must play from 13 to 11; Creation of four combined mandatory events with ATP; Simplified ranking system; and Streamlined top level of tournaments with top players competing against each other more often" -- Periodization, way to create business-speak, and for Larry to suddenly get the urgency...From the Nadia Petrova blog: "Unfortunately I had to stop my doubles match today because of a pectoral injury. It's not going to get in the way of my singles, though, because we have it under control. I got treatment for an hour and a half on joints, neck and muscles, and everything is in check. I'm going to take a bath soon to help relax my body so I'm fine for tomorrow. Speaking of baths...I had that ice bath I told you about yesterday. I had never had one. I'd been in cool therapy a few times, where you go into a cold room at like -130 degrees for a few minutes, but the ice bath I had last night was a lot different. It was so funny. My coach Roger and I went to the restaurant with two huge bags and asked them to fill them up with ice; they looked confused but they filled them up! So we filled the bath tub with cold water and dumped the ice in. I then put on my bathing suit (there was no way I'd do this by myself -- so I got Roger to stay and cheer me up). I felt a bit of a shock in the beginning, and my body started to pinch and hurt, but I stuck through it. Roger gave me my bath robe after I was done, and then I spent about 15 minutes under the blankets to get warm again. It was a hell of a procedure but I think it helped! I feel much fresher today and moved very well. But, I think I'll skip it today. Yesterday was more of an emergency. Today I'll have a massage and a warm bath!"...From the blogging Marat Safin: "I don't have many racquets left now -- only four out of the eight that I started the tournament with. Two of them thanks to Davydenko, one against Daniele Bracciali yesterday and one against Tipsarevic because I was pretty upset about the surface and a lot of bad bounces. I had to complain and of course the victim was the racquet...That's it guys, nothing interesting tonight, but I am sure I will do better tomorrow. Now it is 11:30pm and my brain does not work anymore. I was pretty nervous today and stressed all during the match, that is why I have kept it short. Tomorrow I will be back. Hopefully it will be a positive day for me. I wish you all the best, be good. Don't do anything stupid no matter where you are."...John McEnroe and Jonas Bjorkman lost in two tiebreaks in the doubles Friday at Stockholm...Maligned Brit Alex Bogdanovic believes British savior Brad Gilbert can help him too: "His attitude is so positive all the time and it rubs off," the 22-year-old told BBC Sport. "Working with him is going to help me a lot and hopefully next year I can break into the top 50. Pre-season with Andy [Murray] and Brad is going to help me a lot. It helps so much to be playing with a great player like Andy and also to have Brad around. Brad is going to give that extra buzz to everyone. Here is a guy who has done it before and produced great players. It doesn't matter where you are, even if the atmosphere of a place is not good, Brad's positive attitude gets you up for it and gets the buzz going. He's always got something positive to say -- it's just fantastic. Obviously he's helped Andy a lot and it's also going to help a lot of the other guys just to have him around. I'd certainly like to work with Brad in the future. When I get my ranking up there with Andy I'm sure I'll be able to travel with those guys as well."...Tennis.com reports that Lindsay Davenport has pulled from her two remaining tournaments for 2006 without reason -- career over?...Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Rasheed announce to the media that Hewitt still has another Slam title in him? Which one? The one Roger Federer missed with the flu? Hewitt has won three sets in his last nine straight losses to the Swiss, with five bagel sets during that run. Don't see it, that train left the station a couple years ago...Brad Gilbert is at the Queen's Club this week working with British players.