DUBAI, Feb 19: Virginie Razzano, the world number 58 from Nimes, scored her second win of the week over a top-ten player to reach the biggest semi-final of her career in Dubai on Thursday.

The former French Open junior champion won 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 against Vera Zvonareva, the world number five from Russia, to reach the last four of the Dubai Championships.

Razzano, who beat world number two Dinara Safina in the second round, and Daniela Hantuchova, succeeded through a policy of attack.

Razzano was bold in a two-hour 20-minute contest which fluctuated unpredictably, particularly in the second set.

Razzano looked as though she had got on top in the first set when she reached 5-3 and got to 30-0 when trying to close it out. But she served two double faults in a row, and lost momentum and it was not till the tie-break that she regained it.

Even then she let slip a lead of 4-1 and had to save a set point at 6-7 with a solid backhand-to-backhand cross-court rally before taking the set when Zvonareva double-faulted.

The second set contained seven breaks and a constant struggle to consolidate any small advantages gained. Razzano again led 5-3, but was pegged back to 5-5 before she finished it off.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Quarter-finals: 16-Kaia Kinepi (Estonia) bt Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-3, 7-5; Virginie Razzano (France) bt 5-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 7-6 (9-7), 7-5.

HEWITT OUSTS BLAKE

MEMPHIS (Tennessee): Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt sent third-seeded American James Blake tumbling out of the first-round of the 1.22 million-dollar ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament here on Wednesday.

Hewitt notched the upset of the day with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Blake.

Results:

Men’s:

First round: Robby Ginepri (US) bt Simon Greul (Germany) 6-4, 6-4; Philipp Petzschner (Germany) bt Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 6-3, 6-4; 7-Mardy Fish (US) bt Yen-Hsun Lu (Taiwan) 6-1, 7-5; 5-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt Kevin Kim (US) 6-4, 6-2; 8-Sam Querrey (US) bt Tommy Haas (Germany) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4; 1-Andy Roddick (US) bt Steve Darcis (Belgium) 7-6 (7-1), 6-2; Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) bt 3-James Blake (US) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Women’s:

Second round: 6-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) bt Stephanie Foretz (France) 6-2, 6-4; 3-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) bt Vania King (US) 7-6 (7-1), 6-3; 4-Anne Keothavong (Great Britain) bt Michelle Larcherde Brito (Portugal) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4; 8-Pauline Parmentier (France) bt Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 6-4, 6-1; 1-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Severine Bremond (France) 6-1, 7-6 (7-1).

DJOKOVIC’S WINNING RETURN

MARSEILLE (France): World number three Novak Djokovic celebrated his return to action with a 7-6, 6-4 victory over France’s Jeremy Chardy in the first round of the Marseille Open on Wednesday.

Results (Tuesday):

First round: 2-Gilles Simon (France) bt Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5; Arnaud Clement (France) bt 7-Marat Safin (Russia) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Simone Bolelli (Italy) bt Richard Bloomfield (Great Britain) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1); Julien Benneteau (France) bt Fabrice Santoro (France) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Rainer Schuettler (Germany) bt Laurent Recouderc (France) 6-1, 6-4; Mischa Zverev (Germany) bt Illya Marchenko (Ukraine) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4; Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Jerzy Janowicz (Poland) 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-6 (7-3).

Results (Wednesday):

First round: Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt 3-Gael Monfils (France) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5; 4-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) bt Andrey Golubev (Kazakhstan) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2; 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Jeremy Chardy (France) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4; George Bastl (Switzerland) bt Marc Gicquel (France) 6-4, 6-3

Michael Llodra (France) bt Rik De Voest (South Africa) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1.

Second round: Mischa Zverev (Germany) bt Arnaud Clement (France) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; 8-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) bt Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-1); Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Andreas Seppi (Italy) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3.—Agencies