The Hindu : Sport : Sania storms into semifinals

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Sunday, Jul 29, 2007
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Sania storms into semifinals

Now meets eighth-seeded Austrian Sybille Bammer

STANFORD: Sania Mirza recorded her second big upset in successive days as she packed off fourth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in straight sets to storm into the semifinal of the Bank of the West of Classic on Friday.

Unseeded Sania downed Schnyder 7-6(2), 6-1 and set up a semifinal clash with eighth seed Austrian Sybille Bammer. Bammer advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 win over wild card Lilia Osterloh of the United States.

Sania had been in top form in the tournament and accounted for sixth-seeded Tatiana Golovin of France for a place in the quarterfinals.

Cheered on by a big crowd, Sania really found her range in the second set.

“Experience and maturity are two things that I have learned over the last two years and it helped out tonight,” said Sania, who reached the semifinals at Cincinnati last week.

“When I am on the court, the crowd does get me going. This crowd is always cheering and there is always a positive vibe. But at the end of the day, you are the player, so you have to get it done,” Sania said.

Sania, however, said beating two players ranked in top-20 did not mean she is going to take Bammer, whom she has never played before, lightly.

“Just because I was able to beat Golovin and Schnyder does not mean the road gets any easier tomorrow. Sybille is a great player and she is in the semifinals so she has been doing things right too.

“She (Sybille) has also been to a final this year. The only advantage maybe is that I played a left-hander today and now I will be playing another left-hander tomorrow,” said the World No. 35.

In the other semifinal, top-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze will take on third-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.

A shot at Roddick

Nearly nine hours after he began play, Canada’s Frank Dancevic reached his first ATP semifinal by rallying to defeat Russian Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 7-6(3) in a rain-plagued match in the Indianapolis Championships on Friday. His reward is a semifinal date with the top-seeded Andy Roddick, seeking his fourth trip to the finals here in four years. Roddick eliminated No. 6 Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-1 to bring his record here to 19-2 with two championships and a runner-up finish.

Moya in last four

Carlos Moya battled to a 7-5, 6-4 quarterfinal win over compatriot and fourth seed David Ferrer on Friday to stay on course for his fifth Croatia Open title.

The results: At Indianapolis (Indianapolis Tennis Championships): Quarterfinals: Andy Roddick bt Hyunk-Taik Lee 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-1; Frank Dancevic bt Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 7-6(3).

At Umag (Croatian Open): Quarterfinals: Carlos Moya bt David Ferrer 7-5, 6-4; Guillermo Canas bt Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-1; Andrei Pavel bt Filippo Volandri 1-6, 6-2, 6-3; Viktor Troicki bt Carlos Berlocq 7-5, 6-2.

At Kitzbuhel (Austrian Open): Semifinals: Potito Starace bt Agustin Calleri 6-4, 7-5; Juan Monaco bt Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 7-5. Quarterfinals: Juan Monaco bt Tommy Robredo 6-2, 2-6, 6-2; Agustin Calleri bt Nicolas L apentti 7-6(5), 6-1; Potito Starace bt Andreas Seppi 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(7); Fernando Verdasco bt Sergio Roitman 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-3.

At Stanford (Bank of the West Classic): Quarterfinals: Anna Chakvetadze bt Katarina Srebotnik 4-6, 6-2, 6-2; Daniela Hantuchova bt Olga Govortsova 7-5, 6-3; Sania Mirza bt Patty Schnyder 7-6(2), 6-1; Sybille Bammer bt Lilia Osterloh 6- 2, 6-1.

At Bad-Gastein (Gastein Ladies): Semifinals: Yvonne Meusburger bt Karin Knapp 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; Francesca Schiavone bt Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 6-2. Quarterfinals: Francesca Schiavone bt Agnes Szavay 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4; Kaia Kane pi bt Renata Voracova 6-4, 3-6, 6-0; Karin Knapp bt María José Martínez Sánchez 4-6, 7-6(2); Yvonne Meusburger bt Lourdes Domínguez Lino 6-1, 6-4. — Agencies

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