SYDNEY, Jan 10: The son of a South Korean potato farmer who had to play three qualifying matches to get into the tournament is through to the final of the Sydney International, the major lead-up event to next week’s Australian Open.

Lee Hyung-taik upset the more experienced and higher-ranked Wayne Ferreira 6-3 6-3 on Friday to reach his second ATP final in eight years as a professional.

His final opponent will be Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero, the world number four and French Open runner-up, who had to fight back to beat Germany’s Rainer Schuettler 3-6 6-3 6-2.

The women’s final will be between world number four Kim Clijsters and former world number one Lindsay Davenport. Clijsters beat her Belgian Fed Cup team mate Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-2 6-3 in a high quality match that was closer than the score suggests, while Davenport defeated Tatiana Panova 6-3 7-5.

Lee, who was raised in Hoingsung, a small farming village in Kang Won Do province, only arrived in Sydney from Doha last Friday after a 16-hour flight.

He won his first qualifying two matches on Saturday, and his third victory, on Sunday, earned him a place in the field.

The 27-year-old beat Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti in the first round before avenging his loss to world number 10 Andy Roddick in the 2001 Houston final to make the quarter-finals.

He enjoyed a free ride into the semifinals after his opponent, last year’s Australian Open finalist Marat Safin, pulled out before his straight sets win over Ferreira.

Ferrero blew a 3-1 lead to drop the first set against Schuettler before fighting back to advance to his 15th career final.

The Spanish world number four even abandoned his traditional baseline game to show off his volleying skills, which he said he had been practising to boost his chances of winning the Australian Open.

Clijsters, who has been training in Adelaide with her Australian boyfriend Lleyton Hewitt, said her match with Henin-Hardenne could have gone either way.

The world number four made the semifinals of the 2002 Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Jennifer Capriati, but said she felt she was already playing much better this year.

Newly-wed Henin-Hardenne said she made too many mistakes on the big points.

Semifinal results

Women: Kim Clijsters bt 3-Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-2 6-3; Lindsay Davenport bt Tatiana Panova 6-3 7-5.

Men: Juan Carlos Ferrero bt Rainer Schuettler 3-6 6-3 6-2; Lee Hyung-taik bt Wayne Ferreira 6-3 6-3

DEFEAT FOR ‘SCUD’

MELBOURNE: A hometown Australian Open warm-up ended in defeat for Mark Philippoussis on Friday with a tight 6-3 6-7 6-2 loss to Sebastien Grosjean.

The local hope was unfazed by the defeat, however, buoyed by his performances at the Kooyong Classic and eager to get to Melbourne Park on Monday for the first grand slam of the season.

Philippoussis, piecing his injury-ravaged career together yet again, plays Dutch surprise package Martin Verkerk in the first round.

On Friday he matched Grosjean — seeded 12th seed for the Open — shot for shot in a match which was far closer than the third set scoreline suggests.

Instead Grosjean will face Agassi in Saturday’s final. On Thursday Agassi beat French 16-year-old Richard Gasquet in the first semifinal.

Results

Semifinal: Sebastien Grosjean bt Mark Philippoussis 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-2; Consolation matches: Alex Corretja bt Younes El Aynaoui 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-2); Hicham Arazi bt Thomas Enqvist 2-6 6-4 6-1

KUERTEN MEETS CORIA

AUCKLAND: Gustavo Kuerten had to move indoors to finally win his stop-start second round clash with American Michael Russell 4-6 6-4 6-2 in the rain-interrupted Auckland Open late on Friday.

The fourth-seeded Brazilian meets Argentina’s Guillermo Coria, the number seven seed, in an all-South American quarter-final on Saturday.

One other match was completed indoors on Friday. Austrian Stefan Koubek, up one set and losing 1-0 in the second to Raemon Sluiter overnight, ended up beating the Dutchman 6-3 3-6 6-1. Koubek meets Argentine Mariano Zabaleta in the last eight.

Second round results

Gustavo Kuerten bt Michael Russell 4-6 6-4 6-2; Stefan Koubek bt Raemon Sluiter 6-3 3-6 6-1

FIRST TITLE FOR MOLIK

HOBART (Tasmania): On-fire Aussie Alicia Molik stormed to a first-ever career trophy Friday night, continuing a two-week run of form with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win over Amy Frazier at the $US 110,000 Moorilla International.

Molik, who beat three higher-ranked rivals at last week’s Hopman Cup in Perth as she and Lleyton Hewitt reached the final, kept up the good work on court in Tasmania.

The 21-year-old became the first Australian woman to win a title on the WTA Tour in eight years, since Nicole Bradtke won at Auckland in 1995.

Result: Alicia Molik bt Amy Frazier 6-2 4-6 6-4

Rafter retires

SYDNEY: Former world number one Pat Rafter formally announced his retirement on Friday, more than a year after he played his last competitive match.

The Australian released a statement saying he had thought about making a comeback after his year’s sabbatical but no longer had the motivation to start all over again.—Agencies