Federer reaches his first final of the year
“I know the danger of Nikolay,” top seed Federer said of his world number four rival.
Federer, working with new Spanish coach Jose Higueras, struggled to subdue Germany’s world number 104 Denis Gremelmayr 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 to reach his first final of a testing season on Saturday.
The world number one, who has not lifted a title since the Masters Cup in November, won eight of the last nine games to gain control after dropping the opening set against Gremelmayr who was playing in his first semi-final.
Davydenko, who beat Frenchman Florent Serra 6-2, 6-2, has now won 11 matches in a row including the prestigious Miami crown earlier this month.
Federer’s win - he claimed eight of the last nine games - was his 15th of the season against four defeats during a campaign which began on the back foot after he suffered glandular fever at the Australian Open where he was ousted in the semi-final.“You have to be able to play in all conditions, rain, wind, slow courts, fast courts,” said Federer, in the hunt for a 54th career trophy.
Results:
Semi-finals:
Men’s: Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Denis Gremelmayr (GER) 2-6, 7-5, 6-1; Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x2) bt Florent Serra (FRA) 6-2, 6-2.
Women’s: Maria Kirilenko (RUS x2) bt Klara Zakopalova (CZE x6) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5; Iveta Benesova (CZE) bt Marat Ani (EST) 6-2, 6-1.
SERENA ADVANCES TO FINAL
CHARLESTON (South Carolina), April 20: Former world number one Serena Williams moved a step closer to a third straight WTA Tour title here on Saturday with a semi-final victory at the Family Circle Cup.
Williams, the fifth seed, defeated unseeded Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-3 to reach the title match at the 1.3 million-dollar claycourt tournament.
Currently ranked ninth in the world, Williams has won 14 consecutive matches, including back-to-back titles in Bangalore and Miami.
Her ranking is expected to rise to sixth if she can claim her 31st career championship Sunday.
Williams’ opponent on Sunday will be Russian Vera Zvonareva, who defeated her fourth-seeded compatriot Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3.
Zvonareva, 23, claimed her first victory over 26-year-old Dementieva, who had won both of their previous encounters.
Zvonareva, who advanced from the quarter-finals with an upset of top seed and defending champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, will be trying to improve on her two runner-up finishes to date this season.
Now 18-1, Williams already is building a strong resume this season.
Williams, 26, improved to 4-1 against top-four players with the win, including a thorough 6-2, 6-0 thrashing of top-ranked Justine Henin in the Miami quarter-finals.
Though not at Williams’ level, the 40th-ranked Cornet has played some of her best tennis on the green clay in America.
The 18-year-old also reached the semi-finals at Amelia Island last weekend, and her victory over Hungarian Agnes Szavay in Friday’s quarter-final marked her biggest upset of the season.
Results:
Semi-finals:
Serena Williams (USA x5) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 7-5, 6-3; Vera Zvonareva (RUS) bt Elena Dementieva (RUS x4) 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3.
BLAKE TO FACE PUJOL
HOUSTON (Texas), April 20: Top-seeded American James Blake booked his berth in the final of the US Men’s Clay Court Championship Saturday with a straight-sets victory over eighth-seeded Oscar Hernandez.
Blake, 28, defeated the Spaniard 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to give himself a chance to add a first career clay court title to the 10 singles titles he has claimed on other surfaces.
Although he has never won a title on clay, Blake clearly had the edge in experience on Saturday, and the same will be true in the final.
Blake will take on seventh-seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers-Pujol, who had never before reached an ATP semi-final.
Granollers-Pujol made his first appearance in the final four a successful one with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over American Wayne Odesnik.
Blake, the world No.8, Blake improved his career record on clay to 35-34 with Saturday’s victory. He is 16-7 over his eight appearances at this tournament, including a trip to the semi-finals last year.
Results:
Semi-finals:
Marcel Granollers-Pujol (ESP x7) bt Wayne Odesnik (USA) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3; James Blake (USA x1) bt Oscar Hernandez (ESP x8) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).—Agencies