September 28, 2002	Saturday	Rajab 20, 1423

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HONG KONG, Sept 27: Top seed Marat Safin, exhausted by Davis Cup, slumped out of the second round of the Hong Kong Open on Friday, beaten 7-6 7-5 by unseeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

Last weekend Safin led Russia to a 3-2 victory over Argentina in a World Group semi-final tie, playing two singles and the longest doubles match in Davis Cup history lasting lasted six hours 20 minutes.

The first set on Friday went with serve but the 21-year-old Lopez, ranked 71 in the world, quickly took control in the tiebreak as Safin appeared to wilt in the heat.

The players traded breaks in the second set before Lopez broke Safin for the second time in the match in the 12th game to win.

Second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain and fifth seed Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina also moved into the quarter-finals with wins over American Jeff Morrison and Nicolas Massu of Chile respectively.

Second round and quarter-final matches were scheduled for Friday after two days were lost to rain.

Results: (prefix number denotes seeding)

SECOND ROUND: 2-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Jeff Morrison (U.S.) 7-6 (7-3) 6-1; 5-Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) beat Nicolas Massu (Chile) 1-6 6-2 6-2; Anthony Dupuis (France) beat Lee Hyung-taik (South Korea) 6-3 6-3; Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) beat 7-Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) 6-2 6-2; Jerome Golmard (France) beat 4-Alex Corretja (Spain) 6-3 2-6 7-6 (7-2); 3-Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Wayne Arthurs (Australia) 6-4 6-4; Francisco Clavet (Spain) beat Taylor Dent (U.S.) 6-4 7-6 (7-4); Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat 1-Marat Safin (Russia) 7-6 (7-2) 7-5

BALI (Indonesia): Spanish second seed Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was taken to three sets by Japan’s Saori Obata before claiming a 6-3 4-6 6-0 win and a place in the semi-finals of the Wismilak International Friday.

She remained on course for an all-Spanish final against eighth seed Conchita Martinez, who swept aside Paraguayan Rossana Neffa-de los Rios 6-1 6-3 in her quarter-final.

Former Wimbledon champion Martinez takes on American qualifier Sarah Taylor for a place in the final, while Sanchez-Vicario will have to overcome her Russian doubles partner Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Kuznetsova advanced when fellow Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya retired with a left knee injury after losing the first set 6-3.

Florida-based Taylor reached her first career WTA semi-final by beating Marta Marrero of Spain 6-3 7-5.

Sanchez-Vicario was tested by left-handed Obata in the second set, but a 10-minute break allowed because of the heat allowed the 30-year-old to re-group for the third.

Until then, Obata had dictated the rallies and was the more consistent player.

On several occasions she forced a defensive lob from Sanchez-Vicario and finished off the point with an overhead, while running the Spaniard around with some clever angles.

Results:

(QUARTERFINALS): 2-Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Spain) beat Saori Obata (Japan) 6-3 4-6 6-0; Sarah Taylor (U.S.) beat Marta Marrero (Spain) 6-3 7-5; 8-Conchita Martinez (Spain) beat Rossana Neffa-de los Rios (Paraguay) 6-1 6-3; Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Lina Krasnoroutskaya (Russia) 6-3, retired —Reuters