Tennis Capsules: Djokovic, unbeaten in 2011, advances in Serbia
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Novak Djokovic won his 26th straight match to remain unbeaten in 2011, defeating Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic 6-3, 6-2 Friday in the Serbia Open quarterfinals. This is the best start to an ATP tour season since Ivan Lendl in 1986.
This was a victory, however, that almost didn't happen. While ahead 4-1 in the second set, Djokovic threatened to quit because he said the lines became too slippery once it started raining.
"I don't want to play, I don't want to get injured," Djokovic shouted at the chair umpire, leaving the court and taking a seat.
Play resumed only after the lines were wiped, and Kavcic then managed his only break. The 85th-ranked Kavcic never seriously threatened Djokovic, who had one break in the first set and three in the second.
"There was some pressure, but I've learned to deal with it by now," said Djokovic, whose family helps organize this event.
Djokovic has won 63 of 69 sets and four tournament titles in 2011, including the Australian Open. He has unseated Roger Federer, the last man to beat him, for the No. 2 ranking.
In the semifinals, Djokovic will play fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic, who edged Somdev Devvarman of India 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Feliciano Lopez will face Filippo Volandri of Italy in the other match. Lopez upset fourth-seeded fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-4, 6-4, and Volandri beat Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-2, 6-4.
The seventh-seeded Tipsarevic was broken while leading 5-3 in the third set as he was serving for the match. But Devvarman lost his composure in the next game, and was broken to love.
"Somdev plays with a lot of confidence he gained lately on the tour," Tipsarevic said. "When I dictated the play, I was winning. When I stuck to the baseline, I was in trouble."
Lopez converted two of his nine break points against Montanes to reach his first ATP semifinal of the year.
Volandri will play his first semifinal in more than two years.
"I'm really happy with this win," Volandri said. "It's a good feeling to be in the semis again after so long."
Del Potro beats top-seeded Soderling at Estoril
OEIRAS, Portugal (AP) — Juan Martin del Potro reached the Estoril Open semifinals, beating top-seeded Robin Soderling 6-4, 7-5 Friday in a match interrupted by a three-hour rain delay.
Del Potro, a former U.S. Open champion, will play Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas on Saturday. Cuevas defeated sixth-seeded Thomaz Belluci of Brazil 6-4, 6-2 in this clay-court tournament leading to the French Open.
Germany's Kristina Barrois and Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, both unseeded, will meet in Saturday's women's final. Barrois reached her second career final with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Johanna Larsson of Sweden, and Medina Garrigues downed Romania's Monica Niculescu 6-1, 6-3. The Spaniard has won all nine of her career titles on clay.
Rain forced the suspension of the two other men's quarterfinals, with the matches to be completed Saturday morning before the semifinals.
Fourth-seeded Gilles Simon was leading fifth-seeded Milos Raonic 6-5 in the first set when play was halted. Seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson won the first set 7-6 (2) against second-seeded Fernando Verdasco.
Del Potro, seeded eighth, is fighting his way back up the rankings after missing much of last season because of wrist surgery. The Argentine also defeated Soderling last month, a straight-sets victory on a hard court in Miami.
This time, Del Potro made a jittery start but broke Soderling in the fifth game, and then used two aces to serve out the first set at love. The Swede came out stronger in the second set, breaking in the second game and opening a 4-1 lead. But the rain delay slowed his momentum and Del Potro regained control.
Soderling, a two-time French Open finalist, last week lost his opening match on clay at Barcelona, where he was the seeded third.
Davydenko, Stepanek reach semifinals in Munich
MUNICH (AP) — Nikolay Davydenko defeated 2010 runner-up Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-3 Friday to reach the semifinals of the BMW Open.
Davydenko will play Radomir Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who beat 2007 Munich champion Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, 6-4, 6-0. Philipp Petzschner of Germany edged Potito Starace of Italy 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6) to set up a semifinal against Florian Mayer. He defeated Bulgarian teenager Gregori Dimitrov 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4.
The 69th-ranked Dimitrov turns 20 next month and is the only teenager in the top 100. It was his first quarterfinal appearance on the tour.
Despite hitting eight aces, the Bulgarian could not match the steady play of Mayer, who reached his third semifinal of the year.
The last time two German players were in the Munich semifinals was in 1994, when Michael Stich and Bernd Karbacher reached the last four. Kohlschreiber was the last German winner.
Vinci to play Hradecka in Barcelona final
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Roberta Vinci of Italy advanced to her third straight Barcelona Open final Friday, outlasting Laura Pous-Tio 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to gain a title matchup against Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic.
The sixth-seeded Vinci overcame a shaky serve to save seven break points and break her Spanish opponent six times. Pous-Tio had already played more than two sets earlier in the day to beat Polona Hercog 6-7 (7), 6-1, 7-5 after their quarterfinal match was suspended Thursday in the first set because of rain.
Hradecka upset fifth-seeded Sara Errani of Italy 6-1, 7-5 in the other semifinal. Hradecka had 10 aces in ousting the highest-seeded player left in the tournament.
Vinci won the clay-court event in 2009 and was runner-up last year.
