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.
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.
