July 31, 2006	Monday	Rajab 4, 1427

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LOS ANGELES, July 30: Germany's Tommy Haas stayed on track for his third ATP title of the year with a comfortable 6-2, 7-5 win over Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty in the Los Angeles Open semi-finals on Saturday.

The 2004 champion will meet eighth-seeded Dmitry Tursunov in Sunday's final, the Russian having upset third seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-4, 6-2 in the day's late match.

Haas breezed through the first set by twice breaking Hrbaty's serve, cleverly varying his pace and delivering a mix of slices and top spins to keep his opponent under pressure.

Seventh seed Hrbaty, playing only his second semi-final of the year, provided stiffer opposition in the second set which went with serve until Haas again broke in the 11th game.

The world number 21 produced a beautifully weighted top-spin lob that landed a foot inside the baseline. That put him 0-40 up on Hrbaty's serve in overcast conditions at the Los Angeles Tennis Center before he clinched the game to lead 6-5.

Sixth seed Haas, who fired down nine aces against the Slovak, then served out to finish the match in 65 minutes, booking a place in his third final of the year.

The pair have now met 11 times, with Haas winning on seven occasions.

Tursunov reached the first ATP final of his career with an inspired display against the emotional Gonzalez.

The 23-year-old Russian clinched the opening set by breaking his opponent's serve in the 10th game after Gonzalez produced the first double-fault of the match to trail 15-40 and then hit a forehand long.

The Chilean became increasingly frustrated in a contest between two players with booming forehands and double-faulted for the second time to be broken in the sixth game of the second set.

He smashed his racket in half on the ground, earning a warning from the umpire for racket abuse, before Tursunov won the next two games to complete his first victory over Gonzalez in four meetings.

Saturday’s results:

Semi-finals: 8-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat 3-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) 6-4, 6-2; 6-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat 7-Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) 6-2, 7-5.

TOP SEEDS IN FINAL

STANFORD: Second seed Patty Schnyder set up a final showdown with world number two Kim Clisters at the Bank of the West Classic after cruising past French teenager Tatiana Golovin 7-6, 6-1 in Saturday's semi-final.

Top seed Clijsters, chasing her second title of the year, outclassed third seed Nicole Vaidisova 7-5, 6-2 in the day's first semi-final.

After a nervous start, Schnyder recovered from 0-3 in the tie-break to win seven out of the last eight points to take the opening set.

Schnyder then dominated the French 18-year-old in the second set, confusing her with an array of heavy topspin forehands and flat two-handed backhands.

Earlier, Clijsters exhausted the 17-year-old Czech Vaidisova in long rallies and kept her off balance by varying the speed of her replies.

The Belgian got off to a slow start when she was broken to go 2-4 when Vaidisova ripped a backhand winner down the line.

Clijsters broke back and then fought off a set point with a second serve ace down the tee at 4-5 and then found her stride to lead Vaidisova 6-5 when the Czech miscued a forehand.

Clijsters then took the set on her fifth set point when she smoked a service winner.

Vaidisova, who beat Amelie Mauresmo and Venus Williams en route to the French Open semi-finals, then lost her way.

Clijsters won 14 straight points early in the second set and broke her opponent twice before holding to love to win the match when Vaidisova missed an easy forehand.

Results:

Semi-finals: 2-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Tatiana Golovin (France) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; 1-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat 3-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) 7-5, 6-2.—Reuters