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| March 03, 2007 | Saturday | Safar 13, 1428 |
Youzhny faces Federer in Dubai Open final
DUBAI, March 2: Mikhail Youzhny, one of the three hottest players on the ATP Tour at the moment, continued his career-best start to a season by on Friday reaching back-to-back finals.
The 24-year-old Russian won the Rotterdam title last week, overcame French Open champion Rafael Nadal on Thursday and reached the final of the Dubai Open on Friday, brimming full of confidence during a 7-5, 6-2 win over Robin Soderling.
Meanwhile, top-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland defeated fifth seed Tommy Haas of Germany, 6-4, 7-5 in the other semi-final.
The semi-final win gave Youzhny a 18-4 win-loss record so far in 2007 and his continued excellent form was the more remarkable given that he finished at close to midnight the night before against Nadal and was obliged to return to court within 14 hours.
Youzhny's improvement has been cumulative, the process of winning matches making him mentally stronger, though his brilliantly-timed backhand drive has been a constant threat and his service especially potent this week.
When he was 15-40 down in the eighth game he served solidly to get out of trouble, and for much of the match his first delivery was extremely effective.
More than 90 percent of the time it led to his winning the rally and almost three-quarters of the time he landed it in. The break of serve he achieved in the eleventh game not only gained him the first set, it turned the match. From then on Soderling's level dropped and Youzhny broke him three times.
HENMAN AND BLAKE OUSTED
LAS VEGAS: US top seed and defending champion James Blake and Britain's Tim Henman were each eliminated from the ATP Tennis Channel Open here on Thursday, the American ousted despite a round-robin victory.
Blake defeated Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1, 3-1 when the South American retired at the 416,000-dollar hard court event, which features a unique round-robin format to determine quarter-finalists.
Blake, Del Potro and Russia's Evgeny Korolev each won once in their group, but Del Potro was eliminated because he retired from his defeat, meaning the quarter-final berth went to the winner of the Blake-Korolev match.
Korolev had beaten Blake 6-2, 6-4 and as a result advanced to Friday's quarter-finals, where he will face US wild card Sam Querrey, who beat compatriot Paul Goldstein 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to book a berth in the last eight.
Henman, playing in his first event since last October, was eliminated by Spain's Feliciano Lopez, who rallied to down the seventh-seeded Englishman 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4.
Henman, making his return after knee problems, fell after one hour and 56 minutes when Lopez recovered from a double fault by launching his ninth ace of the match on a second serve and then winning on his first match point.
Lopez advanced to a quarter-final against the winner of a later match between Australian second seed Lleyton Hewitt, last year's runner-up in this event, and Sweden's Thomas Johansson.
Austrian fourth seed Jurgen Melzer reached the last eight by defeating Chilean qualifier Paul Capdeville 6-2, 6-2.
Melzer will face Czech Jan Hernych, who defeated three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday.
Blake will try to take advantage of the round-robin format to reach the knockout rounds after losing his opener to Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-2, 6-4.
Spanish fifth seed Fernando Verdasco, who clinched a quarter-final spot Wednesday, will face the winner of a later match between third seed Marat Safin and Igor Kunitsyn.
Results(x denotes seeding):
Round Robin: Jurgen Melzer (AUT x4) bt Paul Capdeville (CHI) 6-2, 6-2; Sam Querrey (US) bt Paul Goldstein (US) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4; Jan Hernych (CZE) bt Gustavo Kuerten (BRA) 6-4, 6-4; Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Tim Henman (GBR x7) 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4; James Blake (US x1) bt Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 6-1, 3-1, retired; Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x2) bt Thomas Johansson (SWE) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2; Marat Safin (RUS x3) bt Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.
FERRERO ADVANCES, GARBIN BEATEN
ACAPULCO (Mexico): Men's top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero moved a step closer to his first ATP title in nearly three years on Thursday as he reached the semi-finals of this clay court tournament.
Spain's Ferrero defeated fifth-seeded Argentine Gaston Gaudio 6-4, 6-1 to stay on track for his first title since Madrid in October 2003. He next faces compatriot Carlos Moya, who posted the biggest upset of the day on the men's side of the draw.
Meanwhile, the upset trend continued in the women's draw, as Italy's Sara Errani ousted second-seeded compatriot Tathiana Garbin 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. Fifth-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta booked her semi-final berth with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over unseeded Frenchwoman Alize Cornet. She next will face Errani.
Results
Men (second round): Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP x1) bt Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) 6-3, 7-6 (7/2); Gaston Gaudio (ARG) bt Juan Pablo Guzman (ARG) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2; Nicolas Almagro (ESP x3) bt Ruben Ramirez (ESP) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2); Carlos Moya (ESP x8) bt Diego Hartfield (ARG) 6-3, 7-5; Jose Acasuso (ARG) bt Jiri Vanek (CZE) 6-1, 6-2; Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) bt Nicolas Devilder (FRA) 6-0, 6-4; Nicolas Massu (CHI) bt Stefano Galvani (ITA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3; Agustin Calleri (ARG) bt Oscar Hernandez (ESP) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Women (second round): Flavia Pennetta (ITA x5) bt Roberta Vinici (ITA) 6-0, 6-2; Emilie Loit (FRA) bt Martina Muller (GER x3) 6-2, 6-2; Sara Errani (ITA) bt Kaia Kanepi (EST) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4; Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Severine Bremond (FRA x4) 7-6 (7/3), 6-2; Melissa Torres (MEX) bt Eva Birnerova (CZE) 6-4, 6-2; Julia Schruff (GER) bt Marion Bartoli (FRA x1) 6-0, 6-4; Gisela Dulko (ARG x6) bt Laura Pous Tio (ESP) 6-1, 6-2; Tathiana Garbin (ITA x2) bt Zsofia Gubacsi (HUN) 6-4, 3-0 ret. –Agencies
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