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Venus battles into semi-finals in Tokyo as Mirza crashes out

Top seed Venus Williams moved into the semi-finals at the Japan Open yesterday after struggling through the first set, but second seed Sania Mirza's run in Tokyo came to an unexpected end.

Williams, the reigning Wimbledon champion, who is heavily favored to win here, lost her serve twice in the first set, but the six-time Grand Slam winner's experience helped her to a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 quarter-final win.

"I had some problems with my errors, which was frustrating," said the world No. 8 Williams, who hit six double faults. "But she also is a really good competitor -- she brings a lot of balls back and serves well -- so I was definitely up against a competitive opponent who obviously has skills to win the match."

Molik, ranked 74th, came back from 1-3 and then 2-4 down to level the score each time before forcing a tie-breaker in the opening set.

But the Australian hit her forehand wide twice on her serve to quickly fall behind 0-3 in the tie-breaker. Williams hit an easy forehand winner at the net on her first set point.

The two women stayed on serve in the second set until Molik hit a double fault to go down 3-4, sending Williams on the path to victory.

Mirza, India's biggest tennis star, crashed out in the quarter-finals, surrendering to eighth seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy, 6-4, 6-4.

Mirza double-faulted in the seventh game of the second set to go down 3-4. She saved one match point in the ninth game, but Pennetta triumphed when Mirza sent a backhand return long.

"It's obviously not the most comfortable situation, because we are good friends, we practice together, we have the same coach, but we are professional enough to separate a friendship from playing tennis," Mirza said. "But of course you don't like to play a friend, you prefer to play someone you don't know. Obviously she was playing a very solid match."

In the semi-finals today, Williams will take on up-and-coming Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who defeated Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/3). Pennetta will face fifth seed Virginie Razzano of France, who coasted to an easy 6-2, 6-2 winner over her compatriot Camille Pin.

In the men's third round, 2001 champion and fourth seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia took apart Spanish Ivan Navarro's serve-and-volley game for a 7-5, 6-3 victory, while second seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic outplayed 16th-seeded US player Michael Russell 6-4, 6-2.

Serena Williams reached the quarter-finals of the Porsche Grand Prix by beating qualifier Julia Vakulenko 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday.

Williams led 4-1 but allowed Vakulenko to tie at 4-4 before winning the first set on a net cord return.

"I got upset, I went a little crazy," Williams said. "I felt I should have done better. But it's important to stay positive."

Williams dropped her serve in the first game of the second but fought right back and then pulled away at 3-1.

The sixth-seeded US player, who has returned to the Porsche Grand Prix for the first time since 1999, will next play second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3.

Tatiana Golovin, last year's runner-up, also made the last eight by upsetting US Open semi-finalist Anna Chakvetadze 7-6 (3), 6-1.

Fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic advanced to the second round by sweeping past Patty Schnyder 6-0, 6-2.

Ivanovic rolled through the first set in 18 minutes and won the first eight games of the match.

"I really played so well, I didn't do anything wrong," she said. "I was trying to keep up my level but it's hard and the second set was close although the score doesn't show it."

Ivanovic, a finalist at Roland Garros and semi-finalist in Wimbledon, is coming off her third tournament victory of the season, in Luxembourg.

Kuznetsova bounced back after losing the second set by winning the next five games.

Kuznetsova, the US Open runner-up, held three break points at 5-5 in the second set, but Radwanska saved them all and then won the tiebreaker by whipping a backhand passing shot.

The 18-year-old Radwanska grabbed attention by beating defending champion Maria Sharapova in the third round of the US Open, then won her first title last month in Stockholm, Sweden.

Kuznetsova is looking for her second title of the year at the Porsche Grand Prix, which has brought together eight of the top 10 players in the world, with only Sharapova and Venus Williams absent.

Top-seeded Tommy Robredo advanced to the third round of the Open de Moselle on Wednesday by beating Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-4, 6-2.

Robredo is looking to reach his second consecutive ATP final. He lost to Fernando Gonzalez in three sets at the Beijing Open on Sept. 16.

Evgeny Korolev of Russia also advanced, beating Marc Gicquel of France 6-4, 7-6 (3).
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