September 23, 2007	Sunday	Ramazan 10, 1428

BEIJING, Sept 22: Peng Shuai staged a fight-back to keep home hopes alive, reaching the semi-finals of the China Open for the second year running on Friday.

Peng’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over third seed Amelie Mauresmo takes her into a semi-final on Saturday against sixth seed Agnes Szavay, who defeated Maria-Emilia Salerni of Argentina 6-2, 6-4.

Mauresmo’s defeat to the 49th-ranked Peng shows the former world number one still has work to do following a slow recovery after spring appendix surgery.

The 28-year-old Frenchwoman was playing for the first time in two months after stopping over the summer to mentally and physically re-group.

Comeback mum Lindsay Davenport struggled through a tough opening set against Elena Dementieva before taking charge to win the match and book a spot in the final four.

Davenport faces second seed Jelena Jankovic, in a grudge match just over a week after the Serb imploded in Bali, sending the American into the semis of a tournament that she eventually won.

The former number one – now firmly on the comeback trail after a year away from the game – battled through the first set with Dementieva, which lasted for more than an hour, losing her own serve three times.

But once the Californian, who gave birth to son Jagger just three months ago, put her game into high gear, it was all over for the Russian, who was broken six times during the 90-minute match won by Davenport 7-6 (7/1), 6-1.

In contrast to her second-round 6-0, 6-0 win over Spain’s Virginia Ruano Pascual, Jankovic struggled through the first set on Friday against Japan’s Akiko Morigami, finally claiming a 6-3, 7-5 win.

The Serb, who has four titles this season, found herself fighting against the persistent Morigami, ranked 56th in the world, who claimed her career-first trophy earlier this year in Prague.

Davenport, a three-time Grand Slam winner who is testing the waters for a possible full-time comeback in 2008, has a career 4-0 record against Jankovic, the world number three.

Friday’s results (x denotes seeding):

Quarter-finals: Lindsay Davenport (US) bt Elena Dementieva (RUS x4) 7-6 (7/1), 6-1; Agnes Szavay (HUN x6) bt Maria-Emilia Salerni (ARG) 6-2, 6-4; Jelena Jankovic (SRB x2) bt Akiko Morigami (JPN) 6-3, 7-5; Peng Shuai (CHN) bt Amelie Mauresmo (FRA x3) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

KIRILENKO, HANTUCHOVA INTO SEMIS

KOLKATA: Fourth seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia sailed into the semi-finals of the 175,000-dollar WTA Sunfeast Open here on Friday with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Italy’s Flavia Pennetta.

The only Russian to advance to the last four, Kirilenko nullified the baseline game of the Italian seventh seed by charging to the net.

Pennetta appeared to cave in to the pressure, double faulting in the seventh game of the second set and failing to hold her serve.

Kirilenko’s semi-final opponent will be the formidable Slovak second seed Daniela Hantuchova, who overcame the challenge of Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan 6-4, 6-1 in a late-night match.

Chan give her more fancied opponent a scare through some spirited play, but Hantuchova kept her cool and it paid off.

Mariya Koryttseva of Ukraine and Britain’s Anne Keothavong also won their quarter-final matches to advance in this Tier III event.

Koryttseva beat Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus 6-4, 6-2, while Keothavong defeated Israel’s Tzipora Obziler 6-1, 6-3. Poutchek played an unusually subdued game in contrast to the fast pace that marked her game in the first two rounds.

The Belarussian got the first break in the first game but Koryttseva broke back in the fourth and eighth to go 5-3 up.

Poutchek fought back to break in the ninth, but Koryttseva won the 10th to wrap up the set 6-4. Koryttseva won five games in a row in the second set after Poutchek broke her in the first game. Poutchek broke again in the seventh, but Koryttseva struck back in the 10th to win the set 6-2.

For British player Keothavong, it turned out to be a memorable outing as she advanced to her first-ever semi-final on the WTA tour.

Friday’s results:

Quarter-finals: Maria Koryttseva (UKR) bt Tatiana Poutchek (BLR) 6-4, 6-2; Anne Keothavong (GBR) bt Tzipora Obziler (ISR) 6-1, 6-3; Maria Kirilenko (RUS x4) bt Flavia Pennetta (ITA x7) 6-3, 6-1; Daniela Hantuchova (SVKx2) bt Chan Yung-jan (TPEx8) 6-4, 6-1.