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INDIANAPOLIS, July 28: Andy Roddick moved into his fourth semi-final in five years at the Indianapolis Championships with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 win over South Korean sixth seed Lee Hyung-taik on Friday.
The top-seeded Roddick will face Canadian Frank Dancevic, who reached his first career tour semi-final with a 6-4, 7-6 win over Igor Kunitsyn of Russia on a day drenched by rain.
Roddick has beaten Dancevic both times they have played.
The quarter-finals between defending champion James Blake and fellow American Sam Querrey, and Japanese amateur Kei Nishikori and third-seeded Dmitry Tursunov of Russia were postponed to Saturday morning.
Roddick controlled the first set, taking the one necessary service break when Lee double-faulted on the final point of the sixth game.
In the second set, Lee settled into the match to force a tiebreaker. Roddick had a 5-3 lead in the tiebreaker but could not work that into a win, double-faulting to 5-5.
Lee took advantage of his third set point in the tiebreaker with a winning forehand drop shot. In the third set, Roddick only allowed Lee to hold on to his serve in the fourth game.
Dancevic started his match at 1251 local time, but was held up by three rain delays. He finally closed out the one hour, 27 minute match nearly nine hours after it finished at 2146.
When Dancevic came on court against the 100th-ranked Kunitsyn for the final time he had won the first set 6-4, but was trailing the Russian 1-4 in the second set.
After adjusting to playing under the lights, Dancevic pressured Kunitsyn, preventing the Russian from successfully serving out the set at 5-1 and 5-3.
Pulling even to 5-5, Dancevic pushed the second set to a tiebreaker by serving the 12th game to love, blasting aces on the first and last points of the game.
Dancevic won the match on his second match point with a sizzling service winner.
Friday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Quarter-finals: 1-Andy Roddick (U.S.) beat 6-Lee Hyung-Taik (South Korea) 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-1; Frank Dancevic (Canada) beat Igor Kunitsyn (Russia) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
UMAG (Croatia): Carlos Moya battled to a 7-5, 6-4 quarter-final win over compatriot and fourth seed David Ferrer on Friday to stay on course for his fifth Croatia Open title.
It was the Spanish former world No 1’s eighth career victory over Ferrer, who had won their two previous meetings.
Moya, seeded sixth, will meet fifth seed Guillermo Canas in the semi-finals after the Argentine crushed uninspired Simon Gilles of France 6-2, 6-1.
Romania's 33-year-old Andrei Pavel joined Moya in the semi-finals by beating Italian Filippo Volandri 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, continuing his impressive run in Umag this year after ousting local favourite and third seed Ivan Ljubicic in the first round.
Seventh seed Volandri's quarter-final defeat was his fifth consecutive loss at the last-eight stage in Umag.
Qualifier Viktor Troicki of Serbia, the surprise of the tournament, beat Argentine Carlos Berlocq 7-5, 6-2 to set up a last four meeting with Pavel. The 21-year-old Serb had ended top seed, compatriot and world No 3 Novak Djokovic's tournament in the second round.
Friday’s results:
Quarter-finals: 6-Carlos Moya (Spain) beat 4-David Ferrer (Spain) 7-5, 6-4; 5-Guillermo Canas (Argentina) beat Gilles Simon (France) 6-2, 6-1; Andrei Pavel (Romania) beat 7-Filippo Volandri (Italy) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3; Viktor Troicki (Serbia) beat Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 7-5, 6-2.
STANFORD (California): Top seed Anna Chakvetadze continued her rich vein of US hardcourt form by defeating Katarina Srebotnik 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to move into the semi-finals of the Stanford Classic on Friday.
The Russian, last week's winner in Cincinnati, will meet third seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, who overcame qualifier Olga Govortsova 7-5, 6-3.
Eight seed Sybille Bammer of Austria also moved ahead, destroying American Lilia Osterloh 6-2, 6-1. Bammer will play India's Sania Mirza, who upset fourth seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 7-6, 6-1.Srebotnik, the seventh seed, successfully boomed big serves and forehands at the Russian to seal the first set, but Chakvetadze raced out to a 5-0 lead in the second set, and the Slovenian could not recover.
Chakvetadze continued her fine form in the third, immediately breaking Srebotnik to go 2-0 up. She was never pushed on her own service games and broke her opponent again to win the contest when she unleashed a backhand down the line winner.
In reaching her fifth semi-final of the year, Hantuchova played a cool contest against the 18-year-old Govortsova from Belarus, who attempted to win the match by ripping balls to the corners.
Govortsova melted down in the final game, double faulting twice and making two unforced errors.
Sania continued her strong run through the event, upending Schnyder by putting up a wall on her backhand side, serving consistently and leaping on her foe's second serve.
Following her win over the 19th-ranked Tatiana Golovin in the second round, it is the first time Sania has beaten two top-20 players in a row.
Friday’s results:
Quarter-finals: Sania Mirza (India) beat 4-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1; 1-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat 7-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2; 3-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 7-5, 6-3; 8-Sybille Bammer (Austria) beat Lilia Osterloh (US) 6-2, 6-1.—Reuters
