May 05, 2007	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 17, 1428

LISBON, May 4: Tommy Robredo rallied back from a set down to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Estoril Open on Thursday.

The all-Spanish battle over Alberto Martin which he won 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-2 was another test for second seed Robredo, who had to fight back from an early deficit in a match the day before.

The victory set up a re-play of a 2003 semi-final here, with Robredo set to face Argentine Agustin Calleri. The seventh seed advanced 7-5, 1-0 when compatriot Juan del Potro quit their second-round contest.

Robredo earned his third win from four matches against qualifier Martin as he moved into his fifth quarter-final of the season with an 18-9 mark in 2007.

On-form Frenchman Richard Gasquet demolished the upset dream of Portuguese outsider Frederico Gil with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat of the local.

Results (x denotes seeding):

Women (second round): Viktoria Azarenka (BLR) bt Francesco Schiavone (ITA x2) 6-2, 6-2; Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) bt Olga Poutchkova (RUS x5) 6-0, 1-0, retired; Gisela Dulko (ARG) bt Flavia Pennetta (ITA x9) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) bt Nika Ozegovic (CRO) 6-3, 6-0; Greta Arn (GER) bt Carolina Wozniacki (DEN) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.Men (second round): Richard Gasquet (FRA x5) bt Frederico Gil (POR) 6-1, 6-2; Vince Spadea (US) bt Olivier Patience (FRA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Tommy Robredo (ESP x2) bt Alberto Martin (ESP) 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-2; Agustin Calleri (ARG x7) bt Juan del Potro (ARG) 7-5, 1-0, retired.

CLIJSTERS FALLS TO

QUALIFIER

WARSAW: Defending champion Kim Clijsters slumped to an embarrassing 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 defeat at the hands of Ukraine's Julia Vakulenko in the second round of the J and S Cup in Warsaw.

Second seeded Clijsters, who has planned no further tournaments until Eastbourne immediately before Wimbledon, is playing a reduced schedule as she prepares for her July wedding to American Brian Lynch.

With clay never her favourite surface, despite her advance to the French Open final in 2003, Clijsters looked ill at ease against the 61st-ranked qualifier. Vakulenko pressured well with her serve and Clijsters was never allowed to settle.

While Clijsters fell, fellow Belgian and number one seed Justine Henin swept aside struggling German Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-1, 6-2.

Results:

Second round: Jelena Jankovic (SRB x4) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS) 6-2, 7-5; Justine Henin (BEL x1) bt Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) 6-1, 6-2; Venus Williams (US) bt Elena Dementieva (RUS x7) 6-1, 7-6 (7/4); Julia Vakulenko (UKR) bt Kim Clijsters (BEL x2) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

KOHLSCHREIBER STORMS INTO LAST EIGHT

MUNICH: Philipp Kohlschreiber has the chance to avenge the defeat of German compatriot Tommy Haas and reach the semi-finals of Munich's ATP tournament for the first time after beating fifth-seed Jarkko Nieminen.

The 23-year-old's 6-1, 6-4 second-round win took just 79 minutes and the German will meet Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, who knocked out top-seed Tommy Haas on Monday, in the quarter-finals.

Kohlschreiber's compatriot Alexander Waske will meet fourth-seed Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the last eight while Austrian eighth-seed Jurgen Melzer takes on the third-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who beat German Benjamin Becker 7-6, 6-3 in the second round.

Results:

Second round: Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) bt Martin Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Nicolas Devilder (FRA) bt Tobias Summerer (GER) 6-3, 7-5; Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN x5) 6-1, 6-4; Tomas Berdych (CZE x2) bt Nicolas Massu (CHI) 7-5, 6-1. –Agencies