Date:13/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/13/stories/2008091357171900.htm

Sport - Tennis

Schnyder enters semifinals

— Photo: AP

Patty Schnyder.

NUSA DUA: Top seed Daniela Hantuchova battled past Taiwan’s Chan Yung-Jan 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2 to join Nadia Petrova and Patty Schnyder in the Bali Open semifinals on Friday.

Slovakia’s Hantuchova, last year’s runner-up, negotiated an opening set littered with eight breaks of serve and saved two set points before taking the lead on a tie-break.

Second seed Patty Schnyder had it much easier as she crushed Marta Domachowska 6-2, 6-2 in the 57th-ranked Pole’s first quarter-final of the season.

“I made few early errors and had a great start,” said the Swiss U.S. Open quarterfinalist.

“She had to adjust to my game and didn’t like it.”

Earlier, Russian fourth seed Petrova overcame a ragged start to beat Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-3.

Petrova recovered from 4-1 down in the first set, then raced away for her third consecutive straight-sets win against the fifth seed. She will face Schnyder on Saturday.

The results (quarterfinals):

At Nusa Dua: WTA Bali Open: Nadia Petrova bt Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-3; Patty Schnyder bt Marta Domachowska 6-2, 6-2; Daniela Hantuchova bt Chan Yung-Jan 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2.

At Bucharest: BCR Open: Carlos Moya bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Gilles Simon bt Florent Serra 6-2, 6-3.