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| March 18, 2006 | Saturday | Safar 17, 1427 |
Paradorn to face Federer in semis
INDIAN WELLS (California), March 17: Thai star Paradorn Srichaphan has broken out of his early-season slump in spectacular style to reach the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters Series.
Paradorn edged Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5 on Thursday to earn a shot with the dominant force in the game, top seed and two-time defending champion Roger Federer.
Paradorn got the one that turned out to matter most, breaking Nieminen in the final game of the match to avenge a loss to the Finn in Tokyo last year.
Paradorn pulled out all the stops, displaying power from the baseline and a deft touch around the net, as well as some athletic splits on the Indian Wells hardcourts.
One of those heartstopping slides helped him scoop back a volley for a 3-1 lead in the first-set tiebreaker, while another saw him send a forehand past Nieminen in the final game of the match to set up his second match point.
En route to the final four, Paradorn had also beaten fourth-seeded Argentinian David Nalbandian, 18th-seeded American Robby Ginepri and No. 14 Juan Carlos Ferrero from Spain.
It’s a resurgence for a player who had fallen in his first match at four straight tournaments coming into the event. Despite that dismal record, Paradorn said he never lost confidence in his ability, which is sure to be tested to the limit against Federer, who has lost just one match this year.
Results:
Men (quarterfinals): Roger Federer bt Ivan Ljubicic 6-2, 6-3; Paradorn Srichaphan bt Jarkko Nieminen 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5
Women (quarterfinals): Elena Dementieva bt Ana Ivanovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2; Justine Henin-Hardenne bt Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-2.—Agencies
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