July 23, 2007	Monday	Rajab 07, 1428

LOS ANGELES, July 22: Second-seeded James Blake, hunting his first ATP title in six months, booked his place in the Los Angeles Classic final with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over South Korea's Lee Hyung-taik on Saturday.

Blake, who fired down 10 aces in searing heat, will meet Czech Radek Stepanek in Sunday's final after German wildcard Nicolas Kiefer withdrew before their semi-final because of a knee injury.

Blake, competing in his fourth semi-final of the year, survived an erratic spell during the second set before sealing the win in one hour 48 minutes.

The 27-year-old New Yorker, who piled up five ATP titles last year, said fitness had been no problem for him in hot conditions this week, despite being taken to three sets in two of his last three matches.

Kiefer was due to play in his first ATP semi-final since last year's Australian Open after missing most of 2006 with a wrist problem, but injury worries came back to haunt the German as he was forced to pull out with a left knee inflammation.

Saturday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Semi-finals: Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) – walkover; 2-James Blake (US) beat 7-Lee Hyung-Taik (South Korea) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

NADAL, WAWRINKA IN FINAL

STUTTGART (Germany): World No 2 Rafael Nadal moved smoothly into the final of the Stuttgart Cup with a comfortable 6-1, 7-5 victory over Spanish compatriot Feliciano Lopez on Saturday.

The French Open champion was scheduled to play Stanislas Wawrinka in Sunday's decider after the unseeded Swiss beat seventh seed Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 in Saturday's other semi-final.

Nadal, the top seed, saw off his close friend Lopez in one hour and 25 minutes.

The world No 84 was unable to carve out a single break point and Nadal won 41 of 52 points on his serve.

The Majorcan sealed victory on his third match point with a fifth ace.

Saturday’s results:

Semi-finals: Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat 7-Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina)

6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-1; 1-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-1, 7-5.

QUALIFIER STUNS YOUZHNY

AMERSFOORT (Netherlands), July 22: Belgian qualifier Steven Darcis stunned second seed Mikhail Youzhny with a 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 win in the semi-final of the Amersfoort Open on Saturday.

Darcis, who had played only two ATP Tour matches before this week and is ranked 297 in the world, was to face unseeded Austrian Werner Eschauer in Sunday's final.

Despite suffering back problems, Youzhny broke Darcis's serve twice to take the first set but then the 23-year-old Belgian shocked the Russian by winning eight straight games.

Youzhny tried to fight back in the decisive set but capitulated in the 12th game.

Eschauer, 33, enjoyed a 6-4, 6-4 over Dutchman Robin Haase in the other semi-final.

Eschauer, ranked 66th, broke Haase, 13 years his junior, in the 10th game of each set to reach his first ATP Tour final.

Haase looked tired after finishing his rain-interrupted quarter-final against Florent Serra of France only two hours earlier. He won that match 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Saturday’s results:

Semi-finals: Steve Darcis (Belgium) beat 2-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5; Werner Eschauer (Austria) beat Robin Haase (Netherlands) 6-4, 6-4.

Quarter-final: Haase beat Florent Serra (France) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

SANIA OUTLASTED

CINCINNATI (Ohio): Top seed Anna Chakvetadze outlasted India's Sania Mirza 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final of the Women’s Open hardcourt tournament.

The Russian had dropped just one set prior to Saturday's semi-final, but she was pushed to the limit by Sania, who was making her first semi-final appearance here after quarter-final exits each of the past two years.

In the other semi-final, seventh-seeded Akiko Morigami advanced with a 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Akgul Amanmuradova.

Saturday’s results:

Semi-finals: 1-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat 3-Sania Mirza (India) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3; 7-Akiko Morigami (Japan) beat Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 6-3.—Agencies