DUBAI, March 1: Tommy Haas maintained his winning streak by beating Belgium's Olivier Rochus 6-0 6-2 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Open.
The fifth-seeded German, who won the Memphis title last week, claimed his 11th straight win, and his 16th victory in 18 matches this season.
Haas was too powerful and Rochus too passive, with disastrous consequences for the Belgian, who had upset world number three Nikolay Davydenko in the second round. Giving up just two points on serve in the first set, Haas won the first nine games.
Robin Soderling held off a strong challenge from Frenchman Fabrice Santoro to reach his third semi-final of the year.
The Swede, who lost in the Doha and Marseille semi-finals, won 6-1 6-7 6-0.—Reuters