Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Roger Federer and David Ferrer were semifinal winners Saturday at the Tennis Masters Cup and will play for the title of the lucrative season-ending event on Sunday.
The top-seeded Federer had a surprisingly easy match against nemesis Rafael Nadal, posting a 6-4, 6-1 triumph, while the sixth-seeded Ferrer cruised past American Andy Roddick, 6-1, 6-3.
Federer's 59-minute victory against Nadal was his most one-sided in the rivalry, which the Swiss star has recently dominated. The world No. 1 has captured five of the last seven matches with the Spanish sensation, losing only in the finale at the Monte Carlo Masters and French Open this spring.
"For me to beat him on hard court indoors is a great result," said Federer, who is now 6-8 lifetime against Nadal. "And the way I played today, I wish I could play every time like this against him. But it's not that easy."
Nadal had a few chances in the first set. He led 0-30 in the fifth game, but four straight aces gave Federer the game. Nadal had a break point in Federer's next service game, but was unable to convert.
The only time Federer had a chance to break in the first set came in the 10th game when he raced out to a 0-40 lead. Nadal staved off the first, but a Federer forehand winner wrapped up the set.
Federer then capitalized on the momentum and won the first 13 points of the second set on the way to a 3-0 lead. Nadal never recovered.
"I was really pleased with my performance for the last one and a half sets," said Federer, who was successful on 81 percent of his first serves during the match. "I was really pleased with my serving performance today. It was key to beating Rafa tonight."
Next up for Federer will be Ferrer, who is trying to become the first player to win the Masters Cup in his debut since fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja in 1998.
Ferrer, the only player to finish round-robin play undefeated, continued that trend with his rout of Roddick.
Roddick had back trouble early and called for the trainer down 4-1 in the first set. He was never able to kick it into gear and drilled just four aces.
Ferrer, seeded sixth this week, will try for his fourth title of 2007 and the sixth of his career. However, he has never beaten Federer in seven previous tries.
Federer won a pair of meetings this year, both on clay, at the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo and Hamburg.
"David has been the best player of the tournament," Federer remarked about his opponent in the final. "He's been beating unbelievable players along the way."
Federer will be trying for his 53rd career title and eighth this year.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion will finish the year at No. 1 for a fourth straight year. He is the reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Aussie Open and Masters Cup titlist. He defeated American James Blake in last year's finale in Shanghai and is seeking his fourth Masters Cup title in five years.
An undefeated champion, which at this point could only be Ferrer, would collect over $1.5 million.
Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Swiss Roger Federer and former top-ranked American star Andy Roddick were Wednesday's Red Group round- robin winners at the exclusive $3.7 million Tennis Masters Cup. Roddick has already clinched a berth in Saturday's semifinals here.
The top-seeded Federer rebounded from a Monday loss against Fernando Gonzalez by whipping fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 6-3, while a fifth- seeded Roddick improved to 2-0 this week by handling a seventh-seeded Gonzalez 6-1, 6-4 on the hardcourt at Qi Zhong Stadium. Roddick moved to 7-3 lifetime versus the Australian Open runner-up Gonzalez.
Federer got past Davydenko in 1 hour, 26 minutes with the help of four service breaks, compared to two for the Russian, while Roddick doused "Gonzo" in 1 hour, 5 minutes by winning 21 more points (59-38) than his Chilean counterpart. The massive-serving American, who fired only four aces in the big win, also broke Gonzalez three times, while the Chilean failed to record one break in the setback.
The amazing Federer is now 16-1 all-time in his Masters Cup round-robin matches and 11-0 lifetime versus Davydenko, who succumbed to the super Swiss in this year's U.S. and French Open semifinals.
Roddick currently leads the Red Group here with his 2-0 record, while Federer and Gonzalez are 1-1 and Davydenko is 0-2 and out of contention for Saturday's semis.
Federer and Roddick will clash here on Friday, while Gonzalez will take on Davydenko on Day 6.
Sixth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer leads this week's Gold Group with a perfect 2-0 record, while second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal and eighth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet are both 1-1 and third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic has already been eliminated from semifinal contention at 0-2. Nadal is the reigning French Open champ and Wimbledon runner-up, while Djokovic was the U.S. Open runner-up to Federer in September.
The 12-time major champion Federer will finish the year at No. 1 for a fourth straight year. The sublime Swiss is the reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Aussie Open and Masters Cup titlist and French Open runner-up. He defeated American James Blake in last year's finale here in Shanghai and is seeking his fourth Masters Cup title in five years.
On Thursday, Nadal will face Djokovic and Ferrer will battle Gasquet to determine the semifinalists from the Gold Group.
The Masters Cup features round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semis. The lucrative final will be staged here on Sunday.
An undefeated champion, which at this point could only be Roddick or Ferrer, in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.
Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Two of the world's top-three players suffered round-robin losses on Tuesday, as Rafael Nadal succumbed to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer and Serbian Novak Djokovic gave way to Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the $3.7 million Tennis Masters Cup.
A sixth-seeded Ferrer secured a berth in Saturday's semifinals here by coming from behind to beat the second-seeded Nadal 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, while the eighth- seeded Gasquet whipped a third-seeded Djokovic 6-4, 6-2. Nadal is the reigning three-time French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up, while Djokovic was this year's U.S. Open runner-up.
Ferrer ran out to a 5-1 third-set lead against Nadal here on Day 3 and ultimately prevailed in 2 hours, 40 minutes. Ferrer managed to record one more service break than Nadal, as he piled up a whopping six en route to the big victory at this exclusive eight-player event.
The 25-year-old Ferrer has now won his last two matches against Nadal, with the other win coming in four-set come-from-behind fashion in the fourth round at the U.S. Open in September.
Ferrer stunned Djokovic here on Sunday.
Gasquet opened the evening by dousing Djokovic in 1 hour, 25 minutes, as the Frenchman piled up five breaks, compared to only two for his Serbian counterpart. Gasquet wound up winning 19 more points (64-45) than the struggling Djokovic.
Ferrer currently leads this week's Gold Group with a perfect 2-0 record, while Nadal and Gasquet are both 1-1 and Djokovic has been eliminated from semifinal contention at 0-2 on the indoor hardcourt here at Qi Zhong Stadium.
This week's Red Group features world No. 1 Roger Federer (0-1), fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko (0-1), fifth-seeded American Andy Roddick (1-0) and seventh-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who lost to Federer in this year's Australian Open finale, but stunned the supreme Swiss in round-robin action here on Monday. Federer had been a perfect 15-0 in his Masters Cup round-robin matches since 2002.
The 12-time major champion Federer will still finish the year at No. 1 for a fourth straight year. The super Swiss is the reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Aussie Open and Masters Cup titlist and French Open runner-up. He defeated American James Blake in last year's finale here in Shanghai and is seeking his fourth Masters Cup title in five years.
The Masters Cup features round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semifinals on Saturday. The lucrative final will be staged here on Sunday.
An undefeated champion in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.
Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Justine Henin of Belgium outlasted Russia's Maria Sharapova to win her the season-ending WTA Tour Sony Ericsson Championships.
The top-seeded Henin, who disposed of Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals, dropped the first set and was down 3-4 in the second before rebounding to take a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory in a battle that nearly lasted 3 1/2 hours, a record for a three-set final at this tourney.
Henin also won this title last year and secured her 10th singles crown of 2007. The last woman to win as many 10 titles in a single season was Martina Hingis, who won 12 times in 1997. The Belgian is also riding a 25-match winning streak, dating back to a semifinal loss to Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon.
Sharapova was the 2004 winner of this event and was gunning for just on her second title of 2007. Her lone victory of the year came in a U.S. Open tuneup this summer at the Acura Classic in San Diego. She also lost in the final at the Australian Open and reached the title match at the Wimbledon tuneup in Birmingham.
Meanwhile, Henin finished a brilliant season on a high note. She won her third straight French Open crown this year, captured her second U.S. Open title and had an astounding match record of 63-4 in 2007.
Henin now leads her all-time series with Sharapova 6-2 and collected $1 million for her win. Sharapova earned $500,000.
Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal recovered from a shaky start to best Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the opening match at the Tennis Masters Cup on Sunday.
The French Open champion dropped the first set to Gasquet but steadied himself over the final two frames to win, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, on the indoor hardcourt at Shanghai's state-of-the-art Qi Zhong Stadium. Nadal, the World No. 2, has now beaten Gasquet four consecutive times in his career.
Later, David Ferrer upset Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the second Gold Group match, making it a perfect day for Spain. The underrated Ferrer doused Djokovic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Swiss great Roger Federer, who headlines the Red Group, is the defending champion here and starts his bid for a fourth Masters Cup title in five years on Monday.
The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer is joined in a very tough Red Group by No. 4 Russian Nikolay Davydenko, No. 5 American Andy Roddick and No. 7 Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
The 2007 Masters Cup features round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semifinals on Saturday, November 17. The lucrative finale will be staged on Sunday, November 18.
An undefeated champion in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.
The reigning Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open titlist Federer defeated American James Blake in last year's Masters Cup finale, giving him his third title in four years at this event. Federer is the only former champion in this year's exclusive eight-man field and 22-2 for his career at this tournament.
Federer beat Gonzalez in this year's Aussie Open final, topped Nadal in the Wimbledon title bout, bested Djokovic in the U.S. Open finale and lost to Nadal in the French Open championship match.
Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Saturday's semifinals are now set at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, as top-seeded Belgian Justine Henin will meet fourth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic and sixth-seeded Maria Sharapova will take on her seventh-seeded fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze.
Friday's Sharapova-Ivanovic winner would not have to face the world No. 1 Henin here on Saturday, and it worked out for the 2004 Championships victor Sharapova, who dismantled her fellow 20-year-old Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 on the fourth and final day of round-robin play on the hardcourt at Recinto Ferial Casa de Campo.
Sharapova pasted Ivanovic in 1 hour, 10 minutes, as she recorded five service breaks, compared to zero for the overmatched Serb.
The Australian Open runner-up and former world No. 1 Sharapova was a perfect 3-0 in this week's four-player Red Group, while the French Open runner-up Ivanovic went 2-1. The group was rounded out by eighth-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova (1-2) and second-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia (0-3). Hantuchova took the place of Wimbledon champion Venus Williams (dizziness) in the exclusive eight-player field.
Henin captured this week's Yellow Group, at 3-0, followed by Chakvetadze (2-1), alternate Marion Bartoli of France (1-1) and third-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic (0-3). The Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli replaced an injured Serena Williams here on Thursday. The fifth-seeded Williams, this year's Australian Open champ, pulled out here with a left knee injury after losing to Chakvetadze, 6-4, retired, on Wednesday night.
In a pair of meaningless matches on Friday, Hantuchova handled the former U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova 7-6 (9-7), 6-0 and a 10th-ranked Bartoli was leading Jankovic 6-1, 1-0 when the Serbian retired due to an illness. The busy Jankovic led the WTA Tour with a whopping 72 match wins in 2007.
On Saturday, Henin will meet Ivanovic for a third time in their careers. The Belgian is a perfect 2-0 lifetime against the Serb, including a victory in this year's French Open finale. The amazing Henin leads the tour with nine titles already this season.
The other semi will pit Sharapova against Chakvetadze, for a sixth time. The two-time major titlist Sharapova is a flawless 5-0 all-time versus her compatriot, including three wins in as many tries this year. Sharapova beat Chakvetadze in this year's Aussie and French Open quarterfinals.
Prior to this event, the reigning U.S. and French Open titlist Henin had already clinched the year-end top-ranking for a second straight season and for the third time in five years and is currently riding a torrid 23-match winning streak.
The seven-time Grand Slam event titlist Henin defeated France's Amelie Mauresmo in last year's Championships finale here in Madrid, which will give way to Doha as the tournament's host city next year.
The winner of this $3 million event will collect $1 million, while the runner- up will claim $500,000.
Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - The two four-man groups for next week's season-ending Tennis Masters Cup were announced on Wednesday, as Swiss great Roger Federer will head up the Red Group, while powerful Spaniard Rafael Nadal spearheads the Gold Group. Federer is the defending champion.
The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer is joined in a very tough Red Group by No. 4 Russian Nikolay Davydenko, No. 5 American Andy Roddick and No. 7 Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, while the second-seeded Nadal is joined in the Gold quartet by No. 3 Serbian Novak Djokovic, No. 6 Spaniard David Ferrer and No. 8 Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Spain will be the only country with more than one participant this year (Nadal and Ferrer).
Round-robin play will commence Sunday on the indoor hardcourt at Shanghai's state-of-the-art Qi Zhong Stadium, with two matches on the docket. The French Open champion Nadal will open up against Gasquet, while the nightcap will pit Djokovic versus Ferrer.
The 2007 Masters Cup will feature round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semifinals on Saturday, November 17. The lucrative finale will be staged on Sunday, November 18. An undefeated champion in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.
The reigning Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open titlist Federer defeated American James Blake in last year's Masters Cup finale, giving him his third title in four years at this event. Federer is the only former champion in this year's exclusive eight-man field and 22-2 for his career at this tournament.
Federer beat Gonzalez in this year's Aussie Open final, topped Nadal in the Wimbledon title bout, bested Djokovic in the U.S. Open finale and lost to Nadal in the French Open championship match.
Quebec City, QC (Sports Network) - American Lindsay Davenport continued her push to a second title this year, ousting second-seed Vera Zvonareva in three sets to reach the final of the $175,000 Bell Challenge.
Appearing in her third consecutive quarterfinal since returning to the WTA Tour in August after nearly a year out of action, Davenport, who won the Bali Open this year, dropped her first set of the tournament but still managed to beat the Russian Zvonareva, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3.
Davenport, who gave birth to her first child, Jagger Jonathan Leach, in June and returned to play in September, will square off against third-seeded Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko in the final.
Vakulenko overcame an injured right ankle to defeat American qualifier Julie Ditty, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. The 28-year-old Ditty made the first semifinal appearance of her WTA Tour career.
Paris, France (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down to beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in Saturday's opening semifinal match at the Paris Masters.
The second-seeded Nadal earned a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory to reach the final, where he will play Argentina's David Nalbandian, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over 10th- seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the day's second semifinal.
Not only did Nadal eliminate Baghdatis, but he also ended the Cypriot's run toward a possible berth in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup. Baghdatis needed to win this tournament and not have Gasquet reach the final to qualify for the elite eight-man tournament that starts November 11 in Shanghai.
Instead, Gasquet completed the field before even taking the court Saturday.
Baghdatis' setback turned out to be good for Gasquet, as Nalbandian needed just 68 minutes to move into his second straight Masters final. He beat Roger Federer for the Madrid Masters title last month, also toppling Nadal in the quarterfinals on his way to that crown.
Gasquet will be joined in the lucrative season-finale by Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick, David Ferrer and Fernando Gonzalez.
Nadal, meanwhile, is in position to claim his seventh title of 2007 and the 24th of his brilliant young career. The 21-year-old Spaniard has also won at Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Roland Garros and Stuttgart this year.
Sunday will mark his first final since capturing the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart in July. He had lost in the semifinals at the Montreal Masters, the second round of the Cincinnati Masters, the fourth round of the U.S. Open and, most recently, the quarterfinals at the Madrid Masters.
Nalbandian has become a giant killer of late.
After beating Nadal in the quarterfinals at Madrid, Nalbandian went on to knock off Djokovic in the semifinals and Federer in the title match. He became just the third player in ATP history to beat the world's top three players in the same event, joining the great Boris Becker, who did it in 1994, and Djokovic, who accomplished the feat at the Montreal Masters this year.
Nalbandian also beat Federer this week, eliminating the world's top-ranked player in the third round on Thursday.
The Madrid crown marked Nalbandian's only title of 2007 and the sixth of his career.
He is 1-0 lifetime against Nadal, with the 6-1, 6-2 rout of the Spanish lefty in Madrid the only previous meeting.
Sunday's winner will claim a first prize of $491,412, while the runner-up will pocket $245,706.
Quebec City, QC (Sports Network) - American Lindsay Davenport continued her push to a second title this year with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Frenchwoman Stephanie Foretz in the quarterfinals at the $175,000 Bell Challenge.
Appearing in her third consecutive quarterfinal since returning to the Tour in August after nearly a year out of action, Davenport continued to sweep away opponents. The new mother, having given birth to first child Jagger Jonathan Leach in June, has yet to lose a set in any of her three matches this week.
Davenport, a three-time Gland Slam champion, returned to play in September, winning the Bali Open and reaching the semifinals in the China Open. Her next opponent will be second-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva, a 6-2, 6-1 winner over fellow countrywoman and eighth seed Olga Poutchkova, the runner-up last year.
Third-seeded Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko gained her third career semifinal berth with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over fifth seed Olga Govortsova of Belarus.
Next up for Vakulenko will be qualifier Julie Ditty, a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victor over fellow American Vania King. The 28-year-old Ditty was already making the first quarterfinal appearance of her WTA Tour career.
Paris, France (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal was among the quarterfinal winners on Friday in the Paris Masters.
The second-seeded Nadal continued his quest for the title at the $2.45 million tournament with an easy 6-4, 6-2 victory over Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
Nadal has yet to lose a set during his two matches in his first appearance at this hard court event and is seeking to win his seventh title this season.
"It was an important match for me to be in the semifinals after the US Open," said Nadal. "Especially after Montreal. I'm so happy to come back and play one tournament like this. The last two matches have been very good, very good matches for me."
The Spaniard is the highest remaining seed after world No. 1 Roger Federer was defeated by Argentine David Nalbandian in the third round on Thursday.
Nalbandian followed up his surprising victory over the top-seeded Federer, with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 win over fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer on Friday. He is out of the Masters Cup race, but is on track to win his second straight Masters title.
Nalbandian will next face Frenchmen Richard Gasquet, who defeated Andy Murray of Great Britain, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.
The win kept Gasquet's Masters Cup hopes alive, but ended Murray's chance of playing in Shanghai.
Ferrer wasn't the only Spaniard toppled Friday as eighth-seeded Tommy Robredo was defeated, 6-4, 6-4, by Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who kept his slim chances of qualifying for the Masters Cup alive with the win.
Baghdatis, who will face Nadal on Saturday, is in the semifinals for his second consecutive event.
Linz, Austria (Sports Network) - Sixth-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder toppled top-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze in Friday's quarterfinal action at the $600,000 Generali Ladies Linz women's tennis event.
The lefthanded Schnyder humbled the U.S. Open semifinalist Chakvetadze 6-1, 6-0 on the indoor hardcourt at Intersport Arena. Chakvetadze piled up five double faults and had her serve broken five times in a lopsided, lightning- fast 39-minute affair.
Schnyder, who reached the Linz final in 2005, will face Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli in Saturday's semifinals. The third-seeded Bartoli, of France, held off Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
The other semi will pit second-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova against fifth-seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova, as Hantuchova snuck past Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, while Vaidisova upended fourth-seeded Russian Dinara Safina 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).
The 2007 Linz titlist will collect $88,265.
Lyon, France (Sports Network) - Veteran French crowd favorite Sebastien Grosjean was among the quarterfinal winners, while former champion Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia came up a loser Friday at the Lyon Tennis Grand Prix.
In an all-French quarter, Grosjean outlasted Julien Benneteau 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) in 2 hours, 34 minutes.
Meanwhile, the 2001 Lyon winner Ljubicic, seeded fifth this week, gave way to Colombian qualifier Alejandro Falla 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5 on Day 5.
In other quarterfinal action, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga trounced Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-2 and last year's Lyon runner-up Marc Gicquel grounded Argentine Diego Hartfield 7-5, 6-3 on the indoor carpet at Palais des Sports Lyon Gerland. Gicquel lost to Richard Gasquet in last year's popular all-French finale here. Gasquet succumbed to Tsonga here on Thursday. Saturday's semis will pit Grosjean versus his compatriot Tsonga and Gicquel against Falla
Basel, Switzerland (Sports Network) - Hometown hero Roger Federer was among Friday's quarterfinal winners, while last year's runner-up and former champion Fernando Gonzalez went by way of the upset at the $1.2 million Swiss Indoors tennis event.
The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer handled German Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-2 at St. Jakobshalle. The Swiss Federer captured his 544th career singles victory, making him the active wins leader on the ATP. Former world No. 1 Carlos Moya is second to Federer, with 543 wins.
Federer topped the Chilean Gonzalez in last year's Basel finale and was the back-to-back runner-up in his hometown in 2000 and 2001.
The reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Federer was last week's Madrid Masters runner-up to Argentine star David Nalbandian.
Federer is now two match wins away from clinching the year-end No. 1 ranking for a fourth straight year. His semifinal opponent on Saturday will be 6- foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic, who upended fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (15-13).
Karlovic needed 38 aces in 2 hours, 37 minutes to upset Berdych, as neither player recorded a service break in a match where there were only three break- point chances throughout.
A second-seeded Gonzalez succumbed to capable Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 7-5 on Day 4 here. "Gonzo" titled here in 2005 and was also the runner-up in 2002.
Nieminen's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be 2005 Basel runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, as the Cypriot knocked out eighth-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).
Zurich, Switzerland (Sports Network) - Third-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic, French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo of France were a trio of second-round upset victims Wednesday at the $1.34 million Zurich Open.
Jankovic was straight-setted by Czech slugger Nicole Vaidisova 6-4, 6-4. A struggling Jankovic has now dropped her last two tournament-opening matches and has lost four of her last six outings overall.
Vaidisova will meet Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko in Friday's quarterfinals here.
The fifth-seeded Ivanovic was sent packing by surging Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin 6-3, 6-1, while an eighth-seeded Mauresmo was knocked out by Bondarenko 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 at Hallenstadion. Golovin has won 13 of her last 15 matches, including a title in Slovenia last month and a runner-up finish against the great Justine Henin in Stuttgart just two weeks ago.
One other second-round result saw ninth-seeded Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli of France dismiss Dutch wild card Michaella Krajicek 6-4, 6-1. Bartoli will meet the surging Golovin on Friday.
In opening-round action, Italian Francesca Schiavone got past injured Russian Elena Dementieva 4-6, 6-1, 4-2, as the two-time major finalist Dementieva retired in the third set due to a left thigh injury. Dementieva was fresh off her big title in Moscow, where she upset former top-ranked star Serena Williams in the finale.
With her second-round exit here, Dementieva will fail to qualify for this year's season-ending Tour Championships in Madrid.
"Obviously I'm very disappointed about the result of the match and disappointed also that I couldn't have made it to Madrid," Dementieva said.
Schiavone will encounter 2002 titlist and 2005 Zurich runner-up Patty Schnyder of Switzerland here on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, a top-seeded/world No. 1 Henin will open her stay here against Russian Vera Zvonareva and second-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova will take on Austrian Sybille Bammer.
The reigning U.S. and French Open champion Henin captured this Swiss event in 2003. The Belgian stalwart is riding a 16-match winning streak, with her last loss coming against Bartoli in the Wimbledon semifinals.
The 2007 Zurich titlist will take home $182,000.
Metz, France (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo and third-seeded Brit Andy Murray will meet in the final at the Open de Moselle indoor tennis event after each won semifinal matches.
Robredo beat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; while Murray got by second-seeded Argentine Guillermo Canas, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.
In Beijing last month, Robredo reached his 11th career final, falling to Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
Robredo won a title in Sopot earlier this year and will go after his sixth career championship on Sunday. He won the only prior meeting with Murray, in straight sets in Las Vegas a year ago.
Murray had a great start to his season, reaching the semifinals or better at five of his first six tournaments. However, a wrist injury suffered in Hamburg in May put him out of action for almost three months, He won a title in San Jose earlier this year, the second of his career.
Tokyo, Japan (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer and third- seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet will battle for the title at the $832,000 Japan Open after both won semifinal matches Saturday.
The world No. 8 Ferrer, a U.S. Open semifinalist last month, topped 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic, the seventh seed, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Gasquet won in similar fashion over second-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.
Ferrer goes after his third title this year, already winning titles in Auckland and Bastad. He'll try for his fifth career championship.
Gasquet, fresh off his title in Mumbai, has won five tournaments in his career.
Ferrer won the only other meeting with Gasquet, beating the Frenchman in straight sets in a tournament in Stuttgart in 2004.
The 2007 titlist will collect $145,000.
Stuttgart, Germany (Sports Network) - World No. 1 star Justine Henin was among Friday's quarterfinal winners, as was U.S. Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova, who drove out Australian Open titlist Serena Williams at the $650,000 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
The top-seeded Henin held off unseeded two-time major runner-up Elena Dementieva of Russia 6-4, 6-4 at Porsche Arena. The reigning French Open and U.S. Open titlist Henin was the Porsche runner-up in 2001 and 2003.
Henin has now won her last 14 WTA Tour matches, including titles in Toronto and at the U.S. Open. The gritty Belgian has only lost once in her last 31 outings, and that came against France's Marion Bartoli in the Wimbledon semifinals.
The high-flying Henin's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be third-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic, who knocked out seventh-seeded and defending Stuttgart titlist Nadia Petrova 6-7 (5-7), 5-1, as the Russian retired due to a nagging hip injury. Petrova defeated France's Tatiana Golovin in last year's finale here.
A second-seeded Kuznetsova dismissed a sixth-seeded Williams in 6-3, 6-3 fashion on Day 5 here. The eight-time major champion and former world No. 1 Williams has failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals in her last six events, dating back to April.
In one other quarterfinal clash, a surging Golovin grounded Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3, 6-4. Golovin, who titled in Slovenia just two weeks ago, will face the former U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova in Saturday's other semi.
The 2007 Stuttgart titlist will claim $92,410.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka highlighted Friday's quarterfinal winners at the $145,000 Tashkent Open.
The 18-year-old Azarenka erased qualifier Ksenia Palkina of Kyrgyzstan 6-2, 6-1 at Tashkent Tennis Centre. Azarenka won the mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open last month.
Azarenka's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be fourth-seeded Russian Elena Vesnina, who outlasted fifth-seeded Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 on Day 5 here.
The other semifinal will pit third-seeded Belarusian Olga Govortsova against France's Pauline Parmentier, as Govortsova grounded Britain's Katie O'Brien 6-2, 6-3, while Parmentier pasted Tashkent's own Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-3.
The 2007 champion here will claim $21,165.
Tokyo, Japan (Sports Network) - Wimbledon champion and last week's Seoul titlist Venus Williams and last week's Guangzhou champ Virginie Razzano will square off in Saturday's final at the $175,000 Japan Open at Ariake Colosseum.
The top-seeded and former world No. 1 Williams won her ninth straight match by handling Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-5, while a fifth-seeded Razzano overcame eighth-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in Friday's semifinals to also corral her ninth consecutive match victory.
The six-time major champion Williams beat Russian Maria Kirilenko in last week's finale in Seoul, while Razzano beat Israeli Tzipora Obziler in the Guangzhou title bout.
The 27-year-old Williams is 2-0 lifetime against the 24-year-old Razzano, including a victory in San Diego earlier this season.
Williams is seeking her 37th career title and has already won three this year, while Razzano will appear in her fourth career final (1-2), including her third this season (1-1). Her title last week marked the Frenchwoman's first one on the WTA Tour.
This week's winner will earn $25,840.
Metz, France (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo, second-seeded Argentine Guillermo Canas and third-seeded Brit Andy Murray led the charge into the semifinals at the $500,000 Open de Moselle indoor tennis event.
Robredo rolled past veteran French crowd favorite Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour, 24 minutes. The Spaniard will meet another Frenchman, Nicolas Mahut, in Saturday's semis.
Canas handled 19-year-old Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev 6-1, 6-4, while Murray mauled Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-3 on the hardcourt at Les Arenes. Canas dropped just three points on his first serve against the promising Korolev.
The gritty Canas and talented Murray will face-off in the other semifinal here.
One other quarterfinal bout saw the aforementioned Mahut oust eighth-seeded Russian Igor Andreev in come-from-behind fashion, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-1).
Tokyo, Japan (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, second- seeded Czech Tomas Berdych and third-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet posted quarterfinal wins, while former champion Lleyton Hewitt came up a loser Friday at the $832,000 Japan Open.
The world No. 8 Ferrer, a U.S. Open semifinalist last month, grounded his 10th-seeded countryman Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4, while the former world No. 1 and 2001 Tokyo titlist Hewitt, seeded fourth this week, gave way to seventh- seeded Croat Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6) at Ariake Colosseum.
Ferrer will meet the 6-foot-10 Karlovic in Saturday's semifinals here. During his victory over Hewitt, the massive-serving Karlovic became only the fourth player since 1991 to swat 1,000 aces in a season, as he drilled 25 bombs against the return-of-serve artist Hewitt.
The other semi will pit Berdych against the red-hot Gasquet, as Berdych outlasted eighth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 7-5, while Gasquet rattled off his eighth straight match victory by dousing Israeli Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-1. Gasquet is fresh off his title in India last week.
The 2007 titlist here will collect $145,000.
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (Sports Network) - French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic and last week's Portoroz champion Tatiana Golovin were among the winners Wednesday, while third-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova went by way of the upset at the $600,000 Fortis Championships.
The second-seeded Ivanovic moved into the quarterfinals by handling a wild card, Luxembourg's own Anne Kremer, 7-5, 6-4, while the eighth-seeded Golovin stayed hot by downing Romanian wild card Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-1 to reach the second round on the indoor hardcourts at CK Sport Kockelscheuer. The Serbian Ivanovic and three other seeds received opening-round byes this week.
The French Golovin has won her last six matches, including a victory against Katarina Srebotnik in this past Sunday's finale at the Slovenia Open. Her second-round opponent here on Thursday will be last year's Luxembourg runner- up, Francesca Schiavone.
Surging Belarusian Victoria Azarenka ousted Petrova in 6-2, 6-1 fashion to reach the quarterfinals.
One other second-round match saw Russian Vera Zvonareva take out seventh- seeded Israeli Shahar Peer 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, while one other first-round bout saw sixth-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder shut down Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 6-3. Bondarenko's sister Alona captured this tournament last year by beating Schiavone in the final. Alona Bondarenko lost to Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli here on Tuesday.
Zvonareva will meet Azarenka in Friday's quarterfinals.
This week's top seed is Russian Anna Chakvetadze, who will open her stay against American Meilen Tu on Thursday.
The 2007 Luxembourg titlist will claim $88,265.
White Plains, NY (Sports Network) - The 2007 Davis Cup World Group final between the host United States and defending champion Russia will be staged at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.
The best-of-five tie will be played from November 30-December 2, on a surface yet to be determined, and will mark the first Davis Cup final on American soil in 15 years. The Americans topped the Swiss in the 1992 finale in Fort Worth, Texas.
The U.S., captained by Patrick McEnroe, featured Andy Roddick, James Blake and the twin Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, in its 4-1 semifinal victory against host Sweden last week, while the Russian team, skippered by Shamil Tarpischev, boasted Nikolay Davydenko, Igor Andreev, Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Youzhny in its home win against Germany.
The Americans hold a record 31 Davis Cup titles, but haven't won the championship since 1995, when Pete Sampras led them to a 3-2 victory over Russia in a final in Moscow.
The Russians beat Argentina in last year's finale, in Moscow, and captured the first of their two titles in 2002.
The U.S. is 2-1 all-time versus Russia, which beat the Americans 3-2 in last year's semifinals, in Moscow. Team USA bested the Russians 3-2 in an opening- round affair on home turf in Atlanta back in 1998.
Portland's Memorial Coliseum has hosted Davis Cup matches, which it did in 1981 and 1984.
Guangzhou, China (Sports Network) - Fourth-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova was one of 12 first-round winners Wednesday at the Guangzhou International women's tennis event.
Cibulkova handled Belarusian Tatiana Poutchek 6-0, 6-3 at the Tennis Courts of Fangcun Sports Center.
A trio of upsets occurred, as American qualifier Julie Ditty dropped fifth- seeded Russian Olga Poutchkova 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru topped seventh-seeded Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2, 6-4 and France's Camille Pin took out eighth-seeded Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 4-1, as the Russian retired due to a right knee injury.
Sixth-seeded Belarusian Olga Govortsova avoided an upset by drubbing Slovakian Jarmila Gajdosova 6-1, 6-3 at this hardcourt tournament.
A trio of Chinese crowd favorites advanced, as Zi Yan beat American Vania King 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), qualifier Shanshan Song subdued her wild card countrywoman Chunmei Ji 6-3, 6-2 and Tiantian Sun overcame American qualifier Raquel Kops- Jones 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5.
Additional opening-round wins came for Russian Anastassia Rodionova, Israeli Tzipora Obziler, Aussie Alicia Molik and Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual.
On Thursday, top-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues will take on Croat Jelena Kostanic Tosic in a second-round affair. Medina Garrigues was last year's runner-up here to Russian Anna Chakvetadze.
The 2007 Guangzhou champion will collect $25,855.
Seoul, Korea (Sports Network) - Last week's Kolkata champion Maria Kirilenko posted a first-round victory, while sixth-seeded German Martina Muller came up a second-round loser Wednesday at the $145,000 Korea Open.
The fourth-seeded Kirilenko won her sixth straight match by handling Korean wild card So-Jung Kim 7-5, 6-3, while Muller failed to reach the quarterfinals here when Colombian Catalina Castano erased her in 6-4, 6-2 fashion on the hardcourts at the Olympic Tennis Courts. The Russian Kirilenko corralled her second career WTA Tout title in India this past Sunday.
In other second-round action, Japan's Ayumi Morita edged out France's Mathilde Johansson 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and Italian Flavia Pennetta handled Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier 6-4, 6-4.
One other opening-round bout saw Polish qualifier Marta Domachowska dismiss Italian Alberta Brianti 6-3, 6-2.
On Thursday, top-seeded Wimbledon champion Venus Williams of the United States will face Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn, second-seeded Hungarian Agnes Szavay, fresh off her title in Beijing, will encounter Russian Galina Voskoboeva, the surging Kirilenko will meet Chinese Meng Yuan and defending Seoul titlist Eleni Daniilidou of Greece will battle American Ahsha Rolle. Daniilidou topped Japan's Ai Sugiyama in last year's finale here.
The 2007 Seoul champion will take home $21,140.
Bangkok, Thailand (Sports Network) - Seeds Tomas Berdych and Tommy Haas were among Wednesday's first-round winners, while former world No. 1 Andy Roddick pulled out of the $550,000 Thailand Open, citing a left foot injury.
The second-seeded Roddick was scheduled to meet Taipei's Yeu-Tzuoo Wang on Day 2 here, but the American, fresh off his Davis Cup action in Sweden, withdrew due to the foot problem suffered during practice here on Tuesday. Roddick helped the United States beat Sweden 4-1 in last week's Davis Cup semifinal in Gothenburg.
Roddick was the 2004 Bangkok runner-up to Roger Federer.
Top-seeded U.S. Open finalist Novak Djokovic pulled out of the draw here on Tuesday, citing a back injury, while world No. 2 Rafael Nadal withdrew from the event on Sunday due to a knee injury, leaving this watered-down tournament without three of the top-five players on the planet.
Meanwhile, the third-seeded Berdych, of the Czech Republic, blasted Thai wild card Kittipong Wachiramanowong 6-3, 6-0 and the fourth-seeded Haas, of Germany, overcame American Vincent Spadea 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 at Impact Arena.
Sixth-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov got past Austrian Werner Eschauer 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, while eighth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco vaulted past American lucky-loser David Martin 6-2, 6-1.
Other Day-2 wins came for Russian Igor Kunitsyn, German lucky-loser Simon Stadler, Aussie qualifier Nick Lindahl and the wild card Wang, who, instead of facing Roddick, took on American lucky-loser Phillip King and prevailed 6-3, 6-3.
The 2007 Bangkok titlist will collect $76,500.
Mumbai, India (Sports Network) - Sixth-seeded Austrian Stefan Koubek and eighth-seeded Belgian Olivier beat out the rain on Wednesday and posted first- round wins at the $416,000 Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open.
Koubek clobbered Chilean Paul Capdeville 6-3, 6-2, while Rochus routed Dutchman Robin Haase 6-2, 6-2 on another wet day at the Cricket Club of India. Rain has disrupted play on all three days of main-draw activity here.
One other Day-3 result saw Italian Fabio Fognini drive out Indian wild card Somdev Dev Varman 6-3, 7-6 (10-8). Fognini is rewarded with a second-round match against top-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Second-seeded Lleyton Hewitt was supposed to open his stay here against qualifier Ti Chen of Taipei on Wednesday, but the Aussie star will have to wait until Day 4.
Fourth-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen and fifth-seeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro had their second-rounders postponed until Thursday.
The 2007 Mumbai titlist will collect $65,850.
Beijing, China (Sports Network) - World No. 3 Jelena Jankovic and former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport posted quarterfinal wins, while third-seeded Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo came up a loser Friday at the $600,000 China Open.
The second-seeded Jankovic handled Japan's Akiko Morigami 6-3, 7-5, while the unseeded Davenport won her eighth straight match by ousting fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 at Beijing Tennis Center.
Jankovic and the three-time major titlist Davenport will now meet for a second straight week, as the 31-year-old American doused the Serbian star in last week's quarterfinals on her way to a title in Bali. Last week marked Davenport's first WTA Tour singles action since last September. She gave birth to her first child, a son named Jagger, in June of this year.
Davenport is a perfect 4-0 lifetime against Jankovic.
The former top-ranked and two-time major champion Mauresmo succumbed to Chinese crowd favorite Shuai Peng 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Mauresmo was last year's Beijing runner-up to Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who pulled out of this year's event on Wednesday due to an injury.
One other quarterfinal match saw sixth-seeded Hungarian Agnes Szavay zip past Argentine lucky-loser Maria Emilia Salerni 6-2, 6-4. Salerni replaced an injured Kuznetsova in the draw here.
Szavay and Peng will square off in Saturday's other semifinal.
The 2007 Beijing titlist will collect $88,265.
Gothenburg, Sweden (Sports Network) - Andy Roddick handled Joachim Johansson in straight sets in Friday's opening singles rubber in the Davis Cup semifinal between the United States and host Sweden.
The former world No. 1 Roddick recorded a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory in 1 hour, 53 minutes in a hard-serving affair on an indoor carpet at Scandinavium.
Roddick launched 30 aces at the 6-foot-6 Johansson, who countered with 23 bombs in a losing effort. The rusty Johansson, who hasn't played on the ATP since the Australian Open back in January due to ongoing shoulder problems, piled up seven double faults on his way to surrendering the first point to the formidable Americans.
The former U.S. Open champ and three-time Grand Slam runner-up Roddick is now 24-9 in his career Davis Cup singles matches.
Friday's second singles rubber will James Blake against the hosts' Thomas Johansson, who is not related to Joachim. Blake is 11-7 in his career Davis Cup singles action.
Saturday's doubles will pit the American twin Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, against a Swedish duo of Simon Aspelin and Jonas Bjorkman, while Sunday's reverse singles tentatively call for Roddick to meet Thomas Johansson and Blake to take on Joachim Johansson. Aspelin captured the U.S. Open men's doubles title, alongside Austrian Julian Knowle, earlier this month.
The winner of this best-of-five tie will face the Russia-Germany victor in the World Group final in late-November/early-December. Russia is the defending Davis Cup champ.
The United States owns a record 31 Davis Cup titles, but is currently in its longest-ever championship drought, having not hoisted the chalice since 1995. The Swedes have won the title seven times, with their last one coming back in 1998.
The Americans are 8-3 all-time against Sweden, dating back to 1946, including a quarterfinal victory in Florida in 2004. The Swedes are 3-1 versus the U.S. in their ties on home turf, including a 5-0 victory in a final right here in Gothenburg 10 years ago. Sweden also topped the Americans in the final back in 1984.
The U.S. is 2-1 versus the Swedes in the Davis Cup semifinals, but 0-1 in ones played here in Sweden.
Patrick McEnroe captains the American squad, while former tennis great Mats Wilander guides the Swedes.
Portoroz, Slovenia (Sports Network) - This week's top seeds -- France's Tatiana Golovin and Austrian Sybille Bammer -- highlighted Wednesday's second- round winners at the $145,000 Slovenia Open.
Golovin grounded Italian Karin Knapp 6-4, 6-3, while Bammer blitzed Russian Elena Likhovtseva 6-3, 6-2 on the hardcourts at SRC Marina in the beautiful coastal city of Portoroz.
Two other seeds moved into the quarterfinals here, as No. 5 Russian Vera Zvonareva held off Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 and No. 8 Russian Vera Dushevina doused Czech Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-4. Zvonareva and Dushevina will square off in an all-Russian quarter on Friday.
The first round finally concluded on Wednesday, with three matches that were either suspended or postponed because of rain and/or darkness here on Tuesday. Seventh-seeded Argentine Gisela Dulko dropped Swiss Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-3, 6-4, while ninth-seeded American Meilen Tu got past Croat Jelena Kostanic Tosic 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) and Russian Elena Vesnina outlasted Slovenian wild card Polona Hercog 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.
On Thursday, fourth-seeded heavy Slovenian crowd favorite Katarina Srebotnik will battle American veteran Meghann Shaughnessy in a second-round affair.
The 2007 Portoroz winner will pocket $21,140.
Portoroz, Slovenia (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Tatiana Golovin and Slovenian crowd favorite Katarina Srebotnik highlighted Monday's first-round winners at the $145,000 Slovenia Open.
The Russian native Golovin, who plays under the French flag and lives in Florida, snuck past American Lilia Osterloh 6-1, 1-6, 6-1, while the fourth- seeded Srebotnik dismantled her wild card countrywoman Masa Zec Peskiric 6-0, 6-0 on the hardcourts at SRC Marina.
One other opening-rounder saw Russian veteran Elena Likhovtseva sneak past Czech veteran Klara Zakopalova 7-6 (10-8), 6-2.
The 2007 Portoroz winner will pocket $21,140. Austrian Tamira Paszek beat Italian Maria Elena Camerin in last year's finale.
Kolkata, India (Sports Network) - Fourth-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko highlighted Monday's first-round winners at the $175,000 Sunfeast Open.
Kirilenko handled American qualifier Neha Uberoi 6-2, 6-2, while another seed posted a Day-1 victory, as No. 8 Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei double-bageled helpless Indian wild card Kyra Shroff 6-0, 6-0 at Netaji Indoor Stadium.
Up next for Kirilenko will be Russian Ekaterina Ivanova, while Chan will battle Slovakian Jarmila Gajdosova.
In other opening-round play, Aussie Casey Dellacqua drilled Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak 6-2, 6-3, the qualifier Ivanova held off British qualifier Naomi Cavaday 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 and Gajdosova grounded France's Youlia Fedossova 6-3, 6-4.
This week's top seeds are Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli of France and last week's Bali runner-up Daniela Hantuchova. Bartoli will open up against American Vania King, while the Slovakian Hantuchova will encounter Poland's Marta
Domachowska.
Swiss Martina Hingis bested Russian Olga Poutchkova in last year's finale here, but neither player made the trip to Kolkata this year.
The 2007 Sunfeast titlist will pocket $25,855.
Beijing, China (Sports Network) - Two of Monday's three scheduled first-round matches were postponed because of rain at the $600,000 China Open.
In the lone result of the day, Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova snuck past Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki 6-0, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 on the hardcourts at Beijing Tennis Center. Chilean Fernando Gonzalez topped Spaniard Tommy Robredo in last week's men's edition of this tournament.
Day 1's rained out matches were supposed to pit fifth-seeded Swiss Martina Hingis against Chinese wild card Tiantian Sun and Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual versus Russian Olga Poutchkova. The two matches will now be part of Tuesday's schedule.
Last year's marquee final here saw Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova defeat France's Amelie Mauresmo. This week's top four seeds -- the U.S. Open runner-up Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic, the two-time major champion Mauresmo and two-time Grand Slam runner-up Elena Dementieva -- received opening-round byes.
The 2007 Beijing titlist will collect $88,265.
Bucharest, Romania (Sports Network) - Hometown favorite Victor Hanescu toppled third-seeded Italian Potito Starace in Friday's quarterfinal action at the $400,000 Romanian Open.
The Bucharest native Hanescu, a wild card this week, sent Starace packing with a 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 decision on the red clay at BNR Arenas.
The only seeded player still standing this week, No. 6 Frenchman Gilles Simon, avoided an upset by drilling American qualifier Hugo Armando 6-4, 6-2 on Day 5.
In other quarterfinal action, qualifier Gael Monfils drubbed fellow Frenchman Marc Gicquel 6-4, 6-2 and Argentine Carlos Berlocq dismissed Russian qualifier Yuri Schukin 7-5, 6-3.
Saturday's semifinals will pit Simon against Berlocq and Hanescu versus Monfils.
Bali, Indonesia (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic and former world No. 1 American Lindsay Davenport highlighted Thursday's second-round winners at the $225,000 Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic.
Jankovic, fresh off her quarterfinal appearance at the U.S. Open, got past Aussie Casey Dellacqua 6-4, 6-4, while the unseeded Davenport handled her qualifier compatriot Julie Ditty 6-1, 6-4 at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Bali.
The 22-year-old Jankovic and the three-time major titlist Davenport will do battle in the quarters here on Friday. The 31-year-old Davenport is 3-0 lifetime against the current world No. 3 Serb.
The 2005 Bali titlist Davenport is playing her first singles tennis since last September. She gave birth to her first child, a son named Jagger, in June of this year.
A pair of Day-4 upsets occurred, as Romanian qualifier Sorana Cirstea drove out third-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 and Italian Sara Errani erased fourth-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Seventh-seeded Japanese Aiko Nakamura charged into the quarterfinals by pasting France's Youlia Fedossova 6-2, 6-2.
Friday's other quarters will pit second-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova against Japan's Ayumi Morita, Nakamura versus Errani and Cirstea against her fellow Romanian Edina Gallovits.
This week's winner will collect $32,340.
Bucharest, Romania (Sports Network) - Third-seeded Italian Potito Starace, the highest-remaining seed still standing this week, highlighted Thursday's second-round winners at the $400,000 Romanian Open.
Starace drove out veteran Romanian crowd favorite Andrei Pavel 6-3, 6-3 on the red clay at B.N.R. Arenas. The 33-year-old Pavel entered the draw as a wild card this week.
Another Romanian wild card did not disappoint the home crowd on Day 4, however, as Victor Hanescu knocked out eighth-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-2 to reach Friday's quarterfinals, where he will meet Starace. Montanes was the Bucharest runner-up back in 2001.
In other second-round play, Russian qualifier Yuri Schukin got past Italian Simone Bolelli 6-4, 6-3 and Argentine Carlos Berlocq handled Spaniard Ivan Navarro Pastor 7-5, 6-3.
The other quarters will pit sixth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon against American Hugo Armando, Schukin versus Berlocq and Frenchman Marc Gicquel against his countryman Gael Monfils.
Beijing, China (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Russian star Nikolay Davydenko came up a second-round loser Thursday at the $500,000 China Open.
Promising 18-year-old Croat Marin Cilic upended the U.S. Open semifinalist Davydenko in 6-3, 6-4 fashion on the hardcourts at Beijing Tennis Center. Davydenko has now dropped two of his last three matches, including a final four setback at the hands of Roger Federer in New York last week.
A pair of seeds moved into Friday's quarterfinals here, as No. 3 Spaniard Tommy Robredo rolled past South African Rik De Voest 6-2, 6-3 and No. 8 Russian Igor Kunitsyn held off American Kevin Kim 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.
Another upset, albeit a mild one, occurred when German wild card Nicolas Kiefer cut down seventh-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4.
The quarters will pit second-seeded Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez, of Chile, against sixth-seeded Korean Hyung-Taik Lee, Robredo versus Kunitsyn, fourth-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic against fifth-seeded and defending Beijing champion Marcos Baghdatis and Cilic versus Kiefer. The 2006 Aussie Open runner-up Baghdatis, of Cyprus, bested Croat Mario Ancic in last year's finale here and is currently riding seven-match winning streak in Beijing.
Bali, Indonesia (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova highlighted Wednesday's second-round winners at the $225,000 Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic.
Hantuchova handled Dutch wild card Elise Tamaela 7-5, 6-3 at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Bali.
A second-round upset came when Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita mauled sixth- seeded German Martina Muller 6-4, 6-0. Morita will now appear in her first- ever WTA Tour quarterfinal, against Hantuchova.
One other second-round match saw Romanian Edina Gallovits ground Chinese qualifier Meng Yuan 6-2, 6-4, while one final opening-round bout had seventh- seeded Japanese Aiko Nakamura besting Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5.
On Thursday, second-round matches will come for top-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic and former world No. 1 American Lindsay Davenport, who is playing her first singles tennis in almost a year this week. Jankovic will face Aussie Casey Dellacqua, while the 2005 Bali titlist Davenport will encounter fellow American Julie Ditty.
This week's winner will collect $32,340.
Bucharest, Romania (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded and two-time runner-up Igor Andreev was among Wednesday's second-round losers at the $400,000 Romanian Open.
Frenchman Marc Gicquel dismissed the Russian Andreev in 6-4, 6-3 fashion on the red clay at B.N.R. Arenas. Andreev reached back-to-back finals here in 2004 and 2005.
Sixth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon avoided an upset by pasting Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-4, 6-2 on Day 3 here.
In other second-round action, American qualifier Hugo Armando erased Italian Andreas Seppi 6-0, 6-3 and French qualifier Gael Monfils topped Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-4, 6-4. Armando will battle Simon in the quarterfinals, while Monfils will encounter his countryman Gicquel.
A pair of Romanian crowd favorites will take to the clay here on Thursday, as Victor Hanescu will face eighth-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes and Andrei Pavel will take on third-seeded Italian Potito Starace.
Beijing, China (Sports Network) - Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez and last year's Beijing champion Marcos Baghdatis were among Wednesday's second-round winners at the $500,000 China Open.
The second-seeded Gonzalez blew past fellow Chilean Paul Capdeville 6-1, 6-2, while a fifth-seeded Baghdatis, of Cyprus, brushed aside Serbian Boris Pashanski 6-4, 6-4. The 2006 Aussie Open runner-up Baghdatis has won his last seven matches here in Beijing, including a title bout victory over Croatian Mario Ancic a year ago.
Gonzalez will battle sixth-seeded Korean Hyung-Taik Lee in the quarterfinals here on Friday, while Baghdatis will face fourth-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic.
In other second-round action, Ljubicic leveled Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-1 and Lee handled German Bjorn Phau 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 on the hardcourts at the Beijing Tennis Center.
And in one final opening-round match, third-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo rolled past German Denis Gremelmayr 6-2, 6-4.
On Thursday, top-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko will play his second-rounder against Croat Marin Cilic, while Robredo will take on South African Rik De Voest.
Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Roger Federer and David Ferrer were semifinal winners Saturday at the Tennis Masters Cup and will play for the title of the lucrative season-ending event on Sunday.
