November 04, 2007	Sunday	Shawwal 22, 1428

PARIS, Nov 3: France’s Richard Gasquet ended Andy Murray’s Masters Cup hopes by beating the British number one 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 in the Paris Masters Series quarter-finals on Friday.

Gasquet, who recovered from a second-set collapse, is now ideally placed to win the last remaining ticket to the Nov 11-18 season finale in Shanghai featuring the world’s top eight.

The only other player left in the hunt is Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who earlier knocked Spaniard Tommy Robredo out of the race with a 6-4, 6-4 win.

Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny also dropped out of contention on Friday with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat by world No 2 Rafael Nadal.

Gasquet will qualify for the Masters Cup if he makes the final or if Baghdatis loses to Nadal in Saturday’s semi-finals.

Baghdatis will book a trip to China only if he wins the title and Gasquet is not in the final.

Murray netted a backhand to drop serve in the eighth game of the first set. Gasquet then served for the set, wrapping it up with a clever dropshot.

However, a string of unforced errors meant the Frenchman did not win a game in the second set which he lost to an opponent playing close to perfection.

Unfortunately for Murray, Gasquet woke up in the decisive set, getting the telling break with a raging smash in the third game and staying in control until the Scot fired a return long on the second match point.

Standing in Gasquet’s path to the final is Argentine David Nalbandian, whose Shanghai hopes ended on Thursday despite his third-round victory over world No 1 Roger Federer.

The unseeded Nalbandian, who had beaten Federer in the Madrid Masters final late last month, needed three sets and nearly as many hours to down Spain’s David Ferrer 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 in a ferocious contest featuring thrilling rallies.

Fifth seed Ferrer, who has already qualified for Shanghai, matched his opponent’s power and determination for two sets but ran out of steam and Nalbandian wrapped it up with an ace.

Friday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Quarter-finals: 10-Richard Gasquet (France) beat 15-Andy Murray (Britain) 6-3, 0-6, 6-4; 2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-4, 6-2; David Nalbandian (Argentina) beat 5-David Ferrer (Spain) 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (3-7), 6-2; Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) beat 8-Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-4, 6-4.

Quebec Challenge

QUEBEC CITY (Canada): Three-time Grand Slam winner Lindsay Davenport’s continues to impress in her comeback by beating France’s Stephanie Foretz 6-4, 6-0 on Friday in the quarter-finals of the WTA Bell Challenge.

The 31-year-old unseeded American advances to the semis where she will face Russian Vera Zvonareva who rolled over countrywoman Olga Poutchkova 6-2, 6-1.

Third seed Julia Vakulenko stopped Olga Govortzova to set up the other semi against unheralded American Julie Ditty.

Former world No 1 Davenport is playing in her third tournament of the season after taking almost a year off due to pregnancy. After giving birth to her first child in June, Davenport returned to singles action a month ago at Bali, Indonesia and won the event.

Including three victories in Quebec, Davenport is 11-1 this season and has won 22 of 26 sets.

The 126th ranked Davenport was facing Foretz for the first time.

Zvonareva and Vakulenko had already booked their spots in the semi-finals before Davenport’s night match on Friday.

Zvonareva is the highest seed remaining at this indoor carpet event. She is attempting to end the season on a positive note after suffering a left wrist injury in April which sidelined her for four months.

The third-seeded Vakulenko, advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win against No 5 Govortsova.

Ditty needed three sets to dispatch Vania King 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Friday’s results:

Quarter-finals: Lindsay Davenport (US) beat Stephanie Foretz (France) 6-4, 6-0; Julie Ditty (US) beat Vania King (US) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; 2-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat 8-Olga Poutchkova (Russia) 6-2, 6-1; 3-Julia Vakulenko (Ukraine) beat 5-Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 6-3, 6-2.—Agencies