Tennis Capsules: Pennetta, Hercog reach Palermo semis
PALERMO, Italy (AP) — Top-seeded Flavia Pennetta beat Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-2 on Friday to reach her second semifinal of the season.
The 21st-ranked Italian, who won this event in 2009 and was the runner-up last year, will play Polona Hercog of Slovenia. Hercog earned her first career title in Bastad, Sweden, last week.
Four-time champion Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, and Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic will meet in the other semifinal match.
Pennetta lost her opening service game against Pironkova but then dominated the match.
Pennetta broke the 49th-ranked Bulgarian three times to take the first set. She added two more breaks in the second, and closed out the win when Pironkova netted a forehand.
The 20-year-old Hercog extended her winning streak on the WTA circuit to eight by routing fourth-seeded Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-1. Hercog converted six of her seven break points.
Medina Garrigues defeated Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania 6-2, 1-6, 6-0. The 39th-ranked Spaniard, who lost to Begu in the semifinals in Hungary last week, wrapped up the victory on her second match point.
Medina Garrigues will take on the 62nd-ranked Cetkovska, who rallied to edge the third-seeded 2008 champion Sara Errani 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (4) and reach her first career semifinal.
Soderling reaches Swedish Open semifinals
BASTAD, Sweden (AP) — Top-seeded Robin Soderling eased into the Swedish Open semifinals Friday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over eighth-seeded Potito Starace of Italy.
The Swede will face third-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, who ousted Blaz Kavcic 6-1, 6-4.
Second-seeded David Ferrer of Spain also advanced by beating Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-1, 6-1. He will meet fourth-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain, who defeated Andreas Ryderstedt, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Almagro and Ryderstedt had to complete their second-round matches earlier Friday after they were suspended because of rain. Ryderstedt beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-4, 6-2, and Almagro defeated fellow Spaniard Guillermo Olaso 6-2, 6-3.
Martinez Sanchez, Mayr into Gastein Ladies semis
BAD GASTEIN, Austria (AP) — Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez defeated Yvonne Meusburger of Austria 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 Friday to reach her first semifinal of the season at the Gastein Ladies.
The 54th-ranked Spaniard rallied from 5-2 down to win the opening set. She converted her second match point after a 3-hour rain delay in the final set.
Patricia Mayr-Archleitner of Austria routed Bulgarian qualifier Dia Evtimova 6-2, 6-2 to reach her second career semifinal in two years.
The 109th-ranked Mayr-Archleitner conceded only five points on serve in the opening set and quickly regained control of the match after dropping serve early in the second.
The two remaining quarterfinal matches were interrupted by another rain delay and rescheduled for Saturday.
The eighth-seeded Ksenia Pervak of Russia was leading Spain’s Laura Pous-Tio 3-0, and Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine was ahead 5-2 against Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.
Ferrero, del Bonis in semifinals at Mercedes Cup
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-3 in an all-Spanish showdown to reach the semifinals of the clay-court Mercedes Cup on Friday.
Ferrero will play Federico del Bonis of Argentina, who advanced to his first career semifinal on the tour by cruising past fellow qualifier Pavol Cervenak of Slovakia 6-1, 6-2.
Ferrero is playing in only his third tournament of the year after a long layoff caused by knee and wrist injuries. He also was a semifinalist in Stuttgart last year.
Pablo Andujar of Spain ended the run of wild card Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, easing past the German 6-2, 6-1 to earn a semifinal match against Lukasz Kubot of Poland. Stebe posted his first two wins on the tour to reach the quarterfinals.
Kubot outlasted Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
Tennis player Alisa Kleybanova treated for cancer
PERUGIA, Italy (AP) — Former top-20 tennis player Alisa Kleybanova is receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer.
In a posting on the WTA’s website Friday — her 22nd birthday — Kleybanova said there’s a chance she’ll be able to play again. She is being treated at a hospital in Italy because she has a training base and close friends there, "so it’s like home."
The Russian reached a career-high No. 20 ranking in February, but has been off the tour since May and now is No. 28.
She said: "I miss seeing fans and friends around the world, I miss hitting the ball, I miss everything. Tennis has been my life for the last 15 years."
The WTA called Kleybanova "very strong and optimistic" and wished her a "speedy and full recovery."
Ferrero, del Bonis in semifinals at Mercedes Cup
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-3 in an all-Spanish showdown to reach the semifinals of the clay-court Mercedes Cup on Friday.
Ferrero will play Federico del Bonis of Argentina, who advanced to his first career semifinal on the tour by cruising past fellow qualifier Pavol Cervenak of Slovakia 6-1, 6-2.
Ferrero is playing in only his third tournament of the year after a long layoff caused by knee and wrist injuries. He also was a semifinalist in Stuttgart last year.
