Sharapova, Hingis Lead Tokyo Final Four

Quarterfinal day at the $1.34 million Toray Pan Pacific Open was relatively upset-free, with the only minor surprise on Friday being the exit of in-form Serb Jelena Jankovic.

No.4 seed Jankovic's 36 64 62 loss to compatriot and No.5 seed Ana Ivanovic was hardly a big shock - Ivanovic is ranked just six places below Jankovic's new No.10 ranking, which she attained after an impressive swing in New Zealand and Australia, winning Auckland and reaching the Sydney final and Australian Open fourth round.

"It was a good match," said Ivanovic. "We both played really well. It was tough – long rallies and a lot of good points. I was just thinking about my game, staying low, moving forward, being aggressive. My returns improved in the second and third sets, which made a big difference. I was able to hold my serve and get free points off my first serve, which was key."

Jankovic had form on her side, but Ivanovic stuck to her game plan, firing 12 aces to Jankovic's zero.

"Jelena has had some very good matches coming in and is doing very well. I knew it was going to be a tough match. She gets a lot of balls back, but again, it was important for me to play my game and stay aggressive."

Ivanovic, the only playing remaining yet to have won the Pan Pacific title, set up a semifinal showdown with top seed and world No.1 Maria Sharapova, the 2005 champion here.

Sharapova again struggled with her serve - her 14 double faults were three less than her tally on Thursday - but after a slow start the Russian teen steamrolled local favorite Ai Sugiyama, 46 60 61.

"I was worrying too much about my serve in the first set, which resulted in me not being aggressive," admitted Sharapova, who lost to Martina Hingis in the semifinals here last year. "There are days when part of your game is off, and here, it's my serve. But I did a good job of focusing on the things I was doing well and continued to do that."

"I don't think I'm going to get away with (not serving well) too many times, especially against higher-ranked players. I've been able to step up my game in other ways, and I can't keep worrying about (my serve). It's just a matter of going out there and focusing on what I'm doing well. I can't let it affect me."

Sugiyama, making her 15th main draw appearance in this event, conceded Sharapova was on another level by the end of the match.

"I ran her around in the first set, then she did the same to me in the second!" said Sugiyama. "She was dominating and I couldn't answer her points. She raised her level and I couldn't hurt her; she was hitting deep and on the lines. Except the serve, she was just perfect today."

Despite Sharapova's serving troubles, Ivanovic knows she has a huge task ahead of her if she's to reach her second career Tier I final (having won in Montreal last August).

"Maria is in good form," said Ivanovic of Sharapova. "She's coming off a final in Melbourne where she won some good matches. We had a tough match at Linz at the end of last year (where Ivanovic held set point in that quarterfinal match). I lost but it was still a good match for me and I think I'm continuing to improve."

The semifinal in the bottom half of the draw is a repeat of the 2006 final - defending champion and No.3 seed Elena Dementieva meets No.2 seed Martina Hingis, a four-time former champion in Tokyo.

Unlike their counterparts in the top half of the draw, both Dementieva and Hingis enjoyed straight-forward quarterfinal wins Friday. Dementieva ended Italian qualifier Roberta Vinci's dream run with a 61 62 victory, while Hingis outclassed doubles No.1 Samantha Stosur of Australia, 60 61.

Dementieva outplayed Hingis in last year's final with a 62 60 drubbing, but the Russian knows a year is a long time and Hingis - who was playing only the fourth event of her comeback here last year - will be a totally different proposition.

"She's improved a lot and it will be a different match than last year," said Dementieva of Hingis. "She has a lot more experience and is much more confident."

Likewise, Hingis was looking forward to Saturday's match.

"I would like to get revenge against Elena after losing to her," said Hingis. "Last year in the final, she just played too good. I hope to get more than two games, but this year is different from last year, and I look forward to it."

In the doubles event the Top 2 seeds are still in contention, with top-ranked Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur and No.2 seeds Yan Zi and Zheng Jie on track for a finals showdown.

In the semifinals, Raymond and Stosur meet Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Meilen Tu of the USA while Yan and Zheng meet another unseeded combination, American Vania King and Australian Rennae Stubbs.

Semifinal action at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium is scheduled to commence on Saturday at 1pm local time. (WTA)