June 21, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 16, 1429

EASTBOURNE (England), June 20: Marion Bartoli, on the mend after a wrist injury, reached the semi-finals of the Eastbourne International on Thursday by making short work of Russian qualifier Alisa Kleybanova.

Second seed Bartoli, the Wimbledon runner-up last year, will play fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the semi-finals after her 6-3, 6-3 win.

Australian Samantha Stosur continued her comeback trail from serious illness by becoming the first woman into the last four of the grasscourt event, where she will face eighth seed Nadia Petrova of Russia.

Frenchwoman Bartoli, ranked 11th in the world and the top surviving seed after Svetlana Kuznetsova was beaten in the second round, raced to a 5-0 lead before Kleybanova began to fight back, winning three games in a row and saving two set points.

Bartoli, though, wrapped up the set in the ninth game and immediately went on the attack at the start of the second set, when Kleybanova had to save two break points.

By the end of the set the French player was in imperious form, hitting three aces in the eighth game and winning the ninth on a break to love.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Women’s singles:

Quarter-finals: 4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 7-5, 7-5; 2-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 6-3, 6-3; 8-Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-4, 6-3; Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 7-6(3), 6-4.

Second round: 4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt Virginie Razzano (France) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

KARLOVIC MEETS MONFILS

NOTTINGHAM: Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic underlined his grasscourt credentials on Thursday with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 defeat of Italy’s Andreas Seppi to reach the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open.

The 2.08 metre powerhouse will face Gael Monfils for a place in the final after the French Open semi-finalist eased past American qualifier Vince Spadea 7-6, 6-2.

Results:

Quarter-finals: Marin Cilic (Croatia) bt Thomas Johansson (Sweden) 6-1, 6-2; 3-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt 5-Gilles Simon (France) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3; 8-Gael Monfils (France) bt Vince Spadea (US) 7-6(4), 6-2; 4-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) bt 7-Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

DEMENTIEVA IN LAST FOUR

DEN BOSCH (The Netherlands): Top seed Elena Dementieva eased into the Ordina Open semi-finals on Thursday beating Romanian wild card Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-4.

In the men’s event, top seed David Ferrer of Spain defeated twice champion Mario Ancic 6-4, 7-6.

Results:

Men’s singles:

Quarter-finals: 1-David Ferrer (Spain) bt 6-Mario Ancic (Croatia) 6-4, 7-6(4); 7-Guillermo Canas (Argentina) bt Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 6-2, 6-2; Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) bt Arnaud Clement (France) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1; Marc Gicquel (France) bt Juergen Melzer (Austria) 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s singles:

Quarter-finals: 8-Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) bt 2-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) bt Michaella Krajicek (Netherlands) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; 1-Elena Dementieva (Russia) bt Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-2, 6-4; 3-Dinara Safina (Russia) bt 7-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) – walkover.—Agencies