Tim Henman knocked out Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6 (9) in their ABN Amro tournament quarterfinal on Friday, and improved his record against the world's top player to 6-1.
"It's something I really can't explain," Henman said of his success against Federer. "Today I played some really good tennis. He wasn't playing his best and it's important to take advantage of that."
PHOTO: EPA
Fifth-seeded Henman will now face sixth-seeded Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals after the Australian defeated third-seeded Rainer Schuettler of Germany 7-6 (5), 6-3.
PHOTO: AFP
Henman is 0-6 against Hewitt, and he said he was looking forward to improving that record.
"The best way for me to win the tournament is just to worry about my game," Henman said.
PHOTO: EPA
The other semifinal on Saturday will pit defending champion Max Mirnyi of Belarus against No. 2 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who survived an epic tiebreaker against Rotterdam native Raemon Sluiter 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10).
Ferrero faced Dutchmen and hostile crowds in three consecutive rounds, and said he would be glad to face the big-serving Mirnyi. ``That's a completely different kind of match,'' he said.
Mirnyi beat Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Federer was after revenge for losing to Henman last October in Paris, but felt pressured by Henman's play at the net.
"The player who's more aggressive on this court wins," he said. "It's a tough court to play counterattack."
In a woolly second set, Federer broke Henman in the second game, but Henman broke back immediately. Federer broke again in the sixth on a Henman double-fault, but when Henman immediately broke back again, Federer threw his racket to the floor in disgust.
In the tiebreaker, Federer led 4-0 before Henman battled back, eventually surviving five set points. On match point at 10-9, Federer turned his back to the net and raced to return a lob, knocking it between his legs, but Henman's return was unbeatable.
Hewitt and Schuettler were well-matched from the baseline, and each had two service breaks in the first set.
In the tiebreaker, Hewitt was up 4-0 before Schuettler fought back to 6-5 down, despite double-faulting twice. Hewitt finished it off with a crisp return of serve.
In the second set, Hewitt broke Schuettler in the fourth game for 3-1, and in the following game, Schuettler injured a fingernail on his serving right hand.
He continued the match, but never again seriously challenged Hewitt's service.
Although Sluiter served 16 aces against Ferrero, the Spaniard was better in the rallies, and Sluiter needed the support of his home crowd -- and two questionable calls from the line judges -- to reach the tiebreaker. In the end, it took the Spaniard seven match points to bring home the win, and he also survived two before Sluiter finally muffed a return.
"That's the way the game goes," a red-eyed Sluiter told his fans, who gave him a standing ovation.
Mirnyi won 75 percent of points on his first serve against Nieminen, who had two break points in the eighth game of the second set, but failed to capitalize.
"I play my best game in Rotterdam," said Mirnyi, who won his first ATP title here last year.
Buenos Aires
Defending champion Carlos Moya of Spain defeated sixth-seeded Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 early Saturday to reach the semifinals of the ATP Buenos Aires Tournament.
Moya will face Argentina's Jose Acasuso in the final eight, to be played out later Saturday at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club. Acasuso beat David Ferrer of Spain 7-5, 7-6 (5) in an earlier quarterfinal Friday.
In another quarterfinal match, top-seeded Guillermo Coria defeated Argentine compatriot Juan Monaco 7-6 (8), 3-6, 6-1. Coria remained unbeaten on clay since June and will face Richard Gasquet of France in the semis. Gasquet upset third-seeded Nicolas Massu of Chile 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to advance.
Zabaleta rushed the net repeatedly in the first set and used searing shots to the corners to win the opening set in difficult playing conditions as a chilly wind whipped up the dusty clay during a match lasted more than two-hours and began late Friday and ended after midnight.
Moya fought Zabaleta to 6-6 in a second set duel that saw both players try an assortment of powerful serves, drop shots and frequent approaches at the net.
In the third set, Moya raced to a 3-1 lead, but Zabaleta only trailed by a 3-2 margin after winning game 5, a dramatic struggle that went to deuce four times.
In Friday's other action, 19-year-old newcomer Monaco had a set point on Coria in a riveting tiebreak at 7-6, but the world No. 4 ranked player pulled ahead to win it 10-8.
Monaco won the second set, but Coria used powerful baseline strokes to take the third set and match.
Coria conceded he felt the pressure early on, but said he had no problems once he began hitting his best shots and moving Monaco around.
"Monaco gave it his all because, after all, he had nothing to lose," said Coria. "But in the third set I took control and that made all the difference."
Also Friday, Gasquet used his heavy serve and groundstrokes to beat 2002 champion Massu.
Gasquet, now 17, was the youngest player in the top 100 last year. But he's slipped to 105, and marveled at his defeat of the world's 14th ranked player.
"It's fabulous to be able to win like that," said Gasquet. "I was able to demonstrate my mental toughness and also keep up the offensive."
After winning the first set, Gasquet went up 4-2 in the second before Massu rallied by hitting harder from the baseline, and won the last four games to even the sets.
The third set also seesawed before Gasquet made the decisive break in the 11th game and held on to earn a semifinal berth.
Kroger St. Jude
Second-seeded Lindsay Raymond will play for a third straight Kroger St. Jude title after beating fourth-seeded Laura Granville 6-3, 6-0 in an all-American semifinal on Friday.
In Saturday's final, Raymond will face top-seeded Vera Zvonareva, who won an all-Russian semifinal against No. 3 and doubles partner Maria Sharapova 7-6 (5), 6-2. Zvonareva was down 4-1 in the opening set before working her way back to a tiebreaker.
On the men's side, eighth-seeded Nicolas Kiefer beat Jan-Michael Gambill of the US 6-3, 6-4 to continue a sudden turnaround in form, after losing his last six matches before arriving in Memphis. It will be his first ATP semifinals since August.
He'll play the winner of a late match between top-seeded Andy Roddick and Thomas Enqvist of Sweden.
The other semi features second-seeded Mardy Fish of the US against Joachim Johansson of Sweden, who was playing a minor challenger event in Germany this time a year ago.
Johansson ousted Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-4, 7-5 to reach his first career ATP semifinals.
"It's only the last few months that I've started to play pretty well," said Johansson. "I was ranked around 200 about four months ago, so I'm just enjoying life and have fun when I'm playing. That's my attitude and if I win some matches, it's great."
Johansson, who was perfect on first serves in the opening set of his second-round victory over sixth-seeded James Blake, was successful 73 percent of the time on Friday. Several of his 15 aces registered around 210kph, and his service games were quick, leaving little rhythm to the match.
"I don't think I played bad, I just didn't play much," Malisse said.
Fish beat Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, the third time in as many matches he's been taken to three sets in the tournament. He earned a break on Tursunov in the seventh game of the final set, then fought off two-break points in the 10th game for the win.
Neither player served particularly well with Tursunov converting only 40 percent of his first serves. Fish had 18 aces, but made only 54 percent of his first attempts.
Diamond Games
World No. 2 Kim Clijsters moved closer to a second tournament victory in two weeks when she beat ninth-seeded Magdalena Maleeva 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the Diamond Games quarterfinals on Friday.
The home favorite will play Myriam Casanova, ranked 104th in the world, in Saturday's semifinals. The Swiss, a lucky loser entry, edged Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Eighth-seeded Silvia Farina Elia of Italy advanced after fifth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland withdrew with a groin injury when she trailed 7-6 (6), 1-0.
Farina Elia will face Croat teenager Karolina Sprem in the other semifinal, after Sprem beat Czech Denisa Chladkova 6-4, 6-3.
Schnyder's withdrawal further underlined the bad luck of the tournament organizers.
On Thursday, world No. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne pulled out because of a throat infection. It came on the heels of No. 10 Elena Dementieva, who departed because of a shoulder injury.
Earlier, two-time defending champion Venus Williams pulled out after aggravating a knee injury, and she was joined by No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo and No. 5 Jennifer Capriati.
It leaves the way open for Clijsters to collect her second title this year after winning the Gaz de France tournament in Paris last weekend.
On Friday, Clijsters overcame sloppy play. Maleeva, ranked 21st, broke the Belgian's serve three times in the first set, yet failed to profit. In the clutch, Clijsters came through with booming drives and won the tiebreaker 7-2.
Cheered on by some 8,000 fans at the Sports Palace, she broke the Bulgarian's serve twice early in the second, and cruised into the semis.
"It wasn't easy, especially in the first set," said Clijsters.
Whatever happens Saturday, Casanova's tournament is already a success. She lost to Koukalova in qualifying, only to be called upon as a lucky loser when Dementieva pulled out. She is still riding her luck, especially after upsetting the Czech with a comeback victory.
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