INDIAN WELLS (California), March 16: Former world number one Martina Hingis reached the semifinals of the 5.27 million-dollar Pacific Life Open onWednesday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Russian Dinara Safina.

Hingis, who ousted second-seeded American Lindsay Davenport on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals, was never in trouble against the 19-year-old Safina, a four-time titlist on the WTA Tour who had surprised fifth-seeded compatriot Anastasia Myskina to reach the round of eight.

Hingis will meet either third-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova or seventh-seeded German Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the semi-finals.

The 25-year-old Swiss star has already beaten Sharapova once since returning to the WTA Tour in January after a three-year absence.

In men’s fourth-round matches Wednesday, talented young Frenchman Richard Gasquet had another shot at Switzerland’s world number one Roger Federer.

Gasquet was one of only four men to beat Federer last year, triumphing in the quarter-finals at the Monte Carlo clay court Masters Series in April.

Federer avenged that defeat in the final at the Hamburg Masters Series the following month, and the 19-year-old Gasquet’s progress up the rankings has since been slowed by an elbow injury that sidelined him from October through the end of 2005.

In the wake of that layoff he has had an erratic start to 2006, but Federer said he would be treating him with a healthy respect.

Men (fourth round)

Marcos Baghdatis) bt Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-1; Igor Andreev bt Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1; Paradorn Srichaphan bt David Nalbandian 6-7 (5/7) 6-3, 6-2; Roger Federer bt Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4; Ivan Ljubicic bt Mario Ancic 6-3, 6-4; Rafael Nadal bt Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-2; Jarkko Nieminen bt Marat Safin 6-4, 6-3

Women (Quarterfinals)

Martina Hingis bt Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-4.—Agencies