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DUBAI, March 1: Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson recovered from a dismal start to defeat Tim Henman 6-4 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the $1 million Dubai Open on Friday.
The third seeded Swede was outplayed in the opening four games by the Briton but then won the next nine to take command.
Johansson was joined in the last four by Czech Jiri Novak who blasted second seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov off the court in a 51 minute 6-1 6-1 demolition.
Novak next faces Fabrice Santoro after the Frenchman edged past Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 6-4 7-6.
Johansson will face either Rainer Schuettler of Germany or Morocco’s Younes El Aynaoui for a place in the final.
Quarterfinals:
3-Thomas Johansson (Sweden) beat 5-Tim Henman (Britain) 6-4 6-3; Fabrice Santoro (France) beat Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 6-4 7-6 (7-5); 8-Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) beat 2-Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia) 6-1 6-1.
Playing later: Rainer Schuettler (Germany) v Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco)
Second seed Andre Agassi ripped through friend and practice partner Sargis Sargsian 6-2 6-4 in just 63 minutes on Thursday night to storm into the quarter-finals of the $400,000 San Jose Open.
Agassi, four times a champion here, improved his record to 5-0 against the Armenian in only his second match since the wrist injury which prevented him defending his Australian Open crown in January.
A more impressive statistic, however, is the 9-0 record Agassi holds over his quarter-final opponent Wayne Ferreira.
1-Andre Agassi (U.S.) beat Sargis Sargsian (Armenia) 6-2 6-4; 3-Andy Roddick (U.S.) beat Davide Sanguinetti (Italy) 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3; 1-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand) 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 7-6 (8-6); James Blake (U.S.) beat 6-Xavier Malisse (Belgium) 6-3 6-1; Todd Martin (U.S.) beat 5-Greg Rusedski 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
MEN (Second round): Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) beat Magnus Norman (Sweden) 7-5 6-4; Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) beat Nicolas Massu (Chile) 2-6 7-6 (12-10) 6-2; Francisco Clavet (Spain) beat Jacobo Diaz (Spain) 4-0 retired; Alberto Montanes (Spain) beat 6-Felix Mantilla (Spain) 6-4 6-4
WOMEN (quarterfinals): 7-Paola Suarez (Argentina) beat 3-Amanda Coetzer (South Africa) 6-3 6-4; Anna Kournikova (Russia) beat Janette Husarova (Slovakia) 6-3 6-4; Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) beat 4-Cristina Torrens-Valero (Spain) 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4; 1-Elena Dementieva (Russia) beat Emilie Loit (France) 6-4 retired—Reuters
