January 25, 2006	Wednesday	Zilhaj 24, 1426

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MELBOURNE, Jan 24: Lindsay Davenport lost her number one ranking after being knocked out of the Australian Open on Tuesday while unseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis extended his extraordinary run to reach the last four.

Eighth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Davenport 2-6 6-2 6-3 to join Maria Sharapova in the semifinals and ensure Kim Clijsters, or possibly Amelie Mauresmo, takes over as the new number one when the next rankings are released on Monday.

A former world junior number one currently ranked 54th, Baghdatis followed his shock win over second seed Andy Roddick with a gritty 6-4 6-2 4-6 3-6 6-3 victory over seventh seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia.

The Cypriot played superbly in the first two sets, unleashing his full range of shots to grab a two-set lead before Ljubicic fought back to win the next two and force the match into a decider.

Baghdatis fended off two break points in a tense third game then ripped a cross-court forehand past Ljubicic to gain the decisive break in the next game.

Baghdatis held on and will now play fourth seed David Nalbandian on Thursday after the Argentine posted a clinical 7-5 6-0 6-0 victory over unseeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.

The 20-year-old is the eighth youngest man to reach the semifinals in Australia, sparking wild celebrations among Melbourne’s Greek community and back home in Cyprus.

Sharapova, seeded fourth in the women’s draw, booked her place in the semifinals for the second year in a row with a 7-6 6-4 win over Nadia Petrova in an all-Russian affair.

Davenport said she was more disappointed at missing another opportunity to win the Open than losing the top ranking.

“I don’t want to disrespect it by saying it’s low on the priority, but it’s not up in my priority list,” the American told a news conference.

Second seed Clijsters plays Switzerland’s former world number one Martina Hingis on Wednesday while French third seed Mauresmo faces another Swiss, seventh seed Patty Schnyder.

Clijsters will be the next number one unless she loses to Hingis and France’s Mauresmo wins her first grand slam title.

Henin-Hardenne, 23, is now a firm favourite to win her second Australian Open after a knee injury prevented her from defending her title last year.

The Belgian had strolled through her first four matches this year without dropping a set but was in trouble early on against Davenport.

The dogged Belgian tightened her game in the second set to force the match into a third then wore down Davenport with her superior court speed.

Sharapova also drew on her fighting qualities in a scrappy match with sixth seed Petrova that included nine service breaks and 85 unforced errors.

Petrova twice served for the opening set and held two set points in the tie-breaker but Sharapova’s sheer determination proved the difference.

“It was a miracle when someone held serve,” Sharapova said. “It was definitely not easy. I just tried to hang in there.”

A disappointed Petrova said she had only herself to blame for the defeat.

“I just feel like I simply gave it away,” Petrova said. “It couldn’t be a better present that I just did to Maria.”

While the two women’s matches were littered with errors, Nalbandian was a model of composure and consistency as he stormed into his first Australian Open semifinal.

The 2002 Wimbledon runner-up, who beat Roger Federer to win the end-of-season Masters Cup in November, has now reached the semi-finals of all four grand slam events and is growing in confidence.

Results

Women’s singles (Quarterfinals)

Maria Sharapova bt Nadia Petrova 7-6 (8/6), 6-4; Justine Henin-Hardenne bt Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-2,6-3

Men’s singles (Quarterfinals)

David Nalbandian bt Fabrice Santoro 7-5, 6-0, 6-0; Marcos Baghdatis bt Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3.—AFP