Mauresmo slips into semifinals

Kim Clijsters of Belgium kicks water on a flooded center court after torrential rains delayed play during the Rogers Cup at the Rexall Centre in Toronto, Friday. Amelie Mauresmo of France had been playing Russian Nadia Petrova in a quarterfinal match. PHOTO: AFP

Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo of France made the semifinals of the US$1.3 million Rogers Cup when Russian Nadia Petrova withdrew due to an injured right chest muscle in their rain-delayed quarterfinal match Friday.

Mauresmo and Petrova were tied 4-4 in the first set when they headed to the locker-room as a driving rain began to pelt the court.

"At that time I was thinking, `It's going to come,'" Mauresmo said of the time leading up to the storm. "There's no way this is going to stay like this for all the match. But you just have to try to go off the court in the best position you can."

Mauresmo eventually advanced to the semifinals after Petrova withdrew due to a strained right pectoral muscle.

Petrova called for a trainer after losing the first game of the third set and received treatment on the injury. She played one more game before informing the chair umpire she could no longer continue.

When the two players returned after four hours, Mauresmo struggled a bit to find her game as Petrova broke her then held serve for a 6-4 first-set victory. But the defending champion battled from a break down to take the second set 7-5 and was leading 2-0 when Petrova withdrew.

"I think I was able to step up and really play better and better as the match was going," Mauresmo said. "I didn't think I was playing bad. But she was very solid, didn't give me any free points, and I was going for things and missed a few shots here and there that made the difference.

In today's semifinals, Mauresmo will play No. 4 Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium, who struggled in a 7-5, 7-6 (4) win over Czech teen Nicole Vaidisova in the evening quarterfinal.

Myskina, seeded ninth, will meet Kim Clijsters, the seventh-seeded Belgian who routed Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-0, 6-1.

Marat Safin barely moved while the match-ending ace flew by, then tossed his racket onto the court in exasperation. The US Open is at hand, and the Australian Open champ is in a bad way.

Wild card entry Robby Ginepri needed only 56 minutes to knock Safin out of the US$2.45 million tournament. Ginepri advanced to the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over the hobbled Russian.

Three other high-seeded players advanced to the semifinals. No. 1 Roger Federer beat Jose Acasuso 6-4, 6-3 later Friday, setting up a match against Ginepri.

Fifth-seeded Andy Roddick overcame a sluggish start and an upset stomach to beat Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. He'll play third-seeded Lleyton Hewitt, who beat seventh-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-3.

Federer has done a much better job than Safin at getting healthy and getting back in the flow.

Federer has been ranked No. 1 for the last 81 weeks -- the seventh-longest stay atop the ATP rankings -- and appears to be back in form in time for the US Open.

He needed only 63 minutes to win in the quarterfinals Thursday, and took control against Acasuso by pulling ahead 3-0 in the first set.