Ivanovic, Vakulenko Book Semifinal Spots in Berlin

On Thursday evening, darkness suspended Vakulenko's round of 16 match with No.2 seed Amélie Mauresmo, with Mauresmo ahead, 62 11. But upon resumption on Friday, a recharged Vakulenko came out the clear aggressor, pounding her big serves and groundstrokes with power and precision to totally outplay Mauresmo, claiming seven straight games to go up 2-0 in the third and eventually winning, 26 61 62.

"I just went out there and tried to play my best," Vakulenko said. "I've played a lot of tennis this past year and I have definitely gained experience; the win over Clijsters and today's against Mauresmo have given me lots of confidence."

Vakulenko was then scheduled to take on No.8 seed Dinara Safina later on in the day, in the quarterfinal round. The women had only played once before, with the Russian prevailing in three sets in the early rounds of Charleston last season.

"I lost a tight match against Safina last year in Charleston," Vakulenko stated. "Today I will just go out and play my game just as I did with Mauresmo."

And though she had played nearly two full sets against Mauresmo, Vakulenko looked fresh against Safina; she squandered a break early in the second set en route to being pushed to a third but regrouped nicely for a 63 57 63 win. She has now earned her first three Top 10 wins in the last week over a No.4-ranked Clijsters, a No.3-ranked Mauresmo and current world No.10 Safina.

"I play very aggressely, and I think if I play my best, I have a chance against anyone," Vakulenko said. "I believe in myself more now but I can't believe I've beaten three Top 10 players in the last eight days. I've been working very hard since December training in Paris. My arm and foot are sore but I kept fighting."

In her second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour semifinal, having also made the final four at Canberra three years ago, Vakulenko takes on No.12 seed Ana Ivanovic, a 75 36 64 winner over No.15 seed Patty Schnyder. Ivanovic has fared well at events this size in the past; she has gotten to this round or better at Tier Is three times previously, capturing Montréal last August, finishing runner-up at Tokyo [Pan Pacific] in February of this year and reaching the semis at Zürich in 2005.

The other semifinal pits No.3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova against either No.1 seed Justine Henin or No.5 seed Jelena Jankovic. Kuznetsova dispatched No.7 seed and defending champion Nadia Petrova, 76(5) 64; Henin and Jankovic were locked in a battle that was suspended due to darkness with the Serbian leading, 63 44. That quarterfinal match will be finished early Saturday, and the winner takes on an in-form Kuznetsova later in the day.

The doubles schedule was also disrupted by the rain. Top seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur, No.2 seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber and the unseeded tandem of Tathiana Garbin and Roberta Vinci were all able to reach the final four, but the second quarter of the draw has fallen behind; the round of 16 duels pitting No.4 seeds Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs against Jankovic and Li Na then No.8 seeds Safina and Shahar Peer against Kuznetsova and Petrova will both be played Saturday, as well as the quarterfinal match between the winners. That team will then play a semifinal match-up against Raymond and Stosur while Black and Huber and Garbin and Vinci will duke it out in the other semifinal. (WTA)