0
MUNICH, Germany, May 3: Top seed Roger Federer and Finnish hope Jarkko Nieminen set up a clay-court title clash at the 400,000-euro ATP tournament here as both ran off quick semifinal wins on Saturday.
Nieminen, the eighth seed whose two losing finals on clay a year ago have already marked him as a potential event winner, needed just 49 minutes to advance as ailing veteran Yevgeny Kafelnikov retired trailing 6-4, 0-1 with neck pain.
The two-time Grand Slam champion from Russia had been bothered with the problem all week and had to pull out of a doubles match.
But it took him three sets Friday to beat Sjeng Schalken and feeling the effects of that battle was a near-certainty on Saturday.
Federer’s clocking was equally speedy as he ended the giant-killing run of Austrian Stefan Koubek with a 6-2, 6-1 win.
Koubek, who had lost seven straight matches after coming back from a rib injury in February, had knocked out seventh seed Tim Henman and accounted for German fourth seed and 2002 finalist Rainer Schuttler until he ran into Federer.
The Swiss goes into the search for his third title of the season without having dropped a set this week at the Iphitos club. “I’ve been raising my game all week, it’s been getting better and better,” Federer said. “I’ve felt my concentration and other parts of my game improve. I’ve been really happy with my showing this week.”
Federer owns trophies from Marseille and Dubai this season and has now won 30 matches on the ATP tour with only six defeats. He stands fifth in the season points race.
Nieminen is poised for a breakthrough after losing clay finals in April 2002 to Argentines — at Estoril to David Nalbandian and at Mallorca to Gaston Gaudio. He was also beaten indoors at Stockholm in 2001.
The 21-year-old’s feats in Munich may even be stealing headlines at home away from the World Hockey Championships.
Russian Kafelnikov quit after 49 minutes on court after Nieminen had won a break-strewn opening set, but lost the first game of the second.
Kafelnikov, a two-time Grand Slam winner, called for the trainer, deciding after brief on-court treatment that he could not continue. He had been hopeful heading into the contest that his neck problem would work itself out.
Federer has beaten Nieminen both times they have played, last year and in Marseille in February, Federer’s first title of the season.
VENUS SURVIVES
WARSAW, May 3: Top seed Venus Williams survived a nervous second set before beating Czech Denisa Chladkova 6-3 7-6 to advance to the final of the $700,000 Warsaw Cup on Saturday.
The American began quickly against her 39th-ranked opponent, but her power game went off kilter in the second set, which she eventually won in the tiebreaker 7-5.
“I made many mistakes today,” she said. “I was just thinking too much about my shot instead of playing it. But I should know how to do it tomorrow,” said Williams.
Results:
Semifinals: Amelie Mauresmo (France) bt Jelena Dokic (Yugoslavia) 7-5 6-2; Venus Williams (U.S.) bt Denisa Chladkova (Czech Republic) 6-3 7-6 (7-5)
ROCHUS IN FINAL
VALENCIA (Spain): Belgium’s Christophe Rochus swept to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Spaniard Fernando Vicente on Saturday to reach the final of the Valencia Open.
Rochus broke in game six for a 4-2 lead on a slow clay surface in the Mediterranean port city and went on to take the first set in just 30 minutes.
A nervous looking Vicente never managed to put Rochus under pressure on his own serve and the Belgian broke again at the start of the second.—Reuters
