LOS ANGELES, 12 August 2007 — Russia’s Maria Sharapova led the top four seeds into the semifinals of the $600,000 WTA hardcourt tournament here Friday, sweeping aside defending champion Elena Dementieva.
Despite some struggles with her serve, the No. 1 seed defeated Dementieva 6-3, 6-4 to set up a clash with another compatriot, fourth-seeded Nadia Petrova, a 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-1 winner over Virginie Razzano of France.
After Dementieva gave away the first set with two double faults on the last two points, Sharapova raced to a 4-1 lead in the second.
She had a break point in the sixth game but failed to convert and Dementieva battled back to knot the set at 4-4.
“Four-four is never easy, especially when you’re up 4-1 and you have a break point,” said Sharapova, who finally captured the match on her third match point. “The good thing about the end was that I didn’t get frustrated. I just kept going. She definitely raised her level.” Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic and No. 3 Ana Ivanovic set up an all-Serbian semifinal. Jankovic, runner-up to Dementieva here last year, emerged with a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 victory after a chaotic encounter with 18-year-old Victoria Azarenko of Belarus.
Jankovic, whose ranking has climbed to No. 3 in the world as she won four titles this year, found incorrect score calls by the chair umpire and restless spectators a distraction in a match in which she was already struggling.
“It was a circus,” said Jankovic, who nevertheless admitted her biggest problem was her own inconsistency. “I’m not on my game. I don’t have a rhythm,” she said. “But I made it. It’s not the greatest match from my side, but I got the win.” French Open runner-up Ivanovic defeated Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 6-4.
Kirilenko started strong and led 4-1 in the first set when she had on-court treatment for blisters on her fight foot.
Ivanovic won the next seven games, taking the first set and going up 2-0 in the second.
“I had some time to think about my game when she took a medical timeout,” Ivanovic said. “I decided I needed to be more aggressive and it worked well for me.” It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however. Leading 5-2 in the second set Ivanovic was broken, but managed to hold on for the victory.
Ivanovic, ranked fifth in the world, said she looked forward to meeting Jankovic, but Jankovic didn’t echo that sentiment.
“I don’t really think ‘Oh, I’m playing a Serbian,’“ Jankovic said. “It’s just another player on the other side of the net.” Ivanovic has won four of their five WTA meetings, the exception coming in the quarterfinals here last year. The two compatriots have conflicting memories of earlier encounters.
Federer, Nadal Move Closer
to Montreal Masters Showdown
In Montreal, world No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal took a step closer to another title showdown as they reached the semifinals of the Montreal Masters on Friday. Wimbledon champion Federer continued his seemingly inexorable march through the draw as he swept aside Australian Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-4.
But for the second night in a row, Nadal had to come from behind, beating unseeded Canadian Frank Dancevic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Federer will play Czech Radek Stepanek, who upset fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 7-5, while Nadal will meet third seed Novak Djokovic, who ousted No. 5 Andy Roddick 7-6, 6-4.
Holder Federer was close to his fluent best, hitting 13 aces on his way to victory over former world No. 1 Hewitt.
A break of serve in the sixth game earned Swiss Federer the first set before Hewitt gave himself a glimmer of hope when he recovered an early break in the second to level at 2-2.
But Federer pressured the Australian into a forehand error in the seventh game to move ahead again and held on for victory. “Maybe the score looked like I was pretty much in control,” Federer told reporters. “But if you look at the first set, it took 45 minutes. Hewitt said Federer had just been too good. “The way he played today, I can’t see him losing the tournament,” Hewitt said. Nadal had to cope with an inspired opponent in Dancevic, the world No. 91, and a buoyant home crowd before reaching the last four. Dancevic smashed a succession of winners as he stunned Nadal in the first set.
But after the Canadian missed a series of chances for an early break in the second set, the match slowly swung in Nadal’s favor and in the end, he was a comfortable winner.
“He played unbelievable, aggressive tennis,” Nadal said. World No. 60 Stepanek broke Davydenko in the fifth game and held the advantage to take the opening set.
The Czech broke again in the fifth game of the second but faltered when serving for the match at 5-4, allowing Davydenko to level.
The respite was only brief for the Russian as he was broken in the next game and Stepanek served out for victory, finishing the match with his ninth ace.
