Venus advances at Porsche GP

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) -Venus Williams made a successful return to the Porsche Grand Prix after 10 years, advancing to the second round by beating Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-1, 6-2 Tuesday.

The sixth-seeded American cruised past a player who is on the comeback trail after missing nine months because of various reasons. Groenefeld did reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open but she was no match for the power and precision of the elder Williams sister.

"She hit some great shots but my experience helped me,'' said Williams, who made it into the second round in 1998 in her only previous appearance in Stuttgart.

Williams needed four set points to close out the first set, committing a double-fault on one of them.

The American then broke serve for 1-0 at love to start the second. She went two breaks up to lead 4-1, allowed the German one more game and hit a forehand winner on her second match point.

Williams next plays qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko, who rallied to upset 15th-ranked Flavia Pennetta 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Eight-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska swept past Sandra Zahlavova 6-3, 6-2.

Another qualifier also advanced when Tsvetana Pironkova beat teenager Alize Cornet of France 6-2, 6-1. The Bulgarian next plays third-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia, who had a bye into the second round, along with the other top three players in the tournament - Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva.

Marion Bartoli of France advanced by beating Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-1, and Victoria Azarenka wasted a 5-2 lead before overcoming Agnes Szavay 7-5, 6-3 to set up a second-round contest against Radwanska.

The indoor tournament has brought together eight of the top 10 players in the world, with only Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova missing.

Serena Williams, who regained the No. 1 ranking after winning the U.S. Open, plays Wednesday against Li Na.

Williams' closest rival to finish the year as No. 1 is Jankovic, who trails by 21 points. Jankovic, who won the China Open on Sunday, will not play until Thursday, when she meets Alona Bondarenko, Kateryna's sister.

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Bondarenko upsets Pennetta

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) -Qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko rallied to upset 15th-ranked Flavia Pennetta 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 at the Porsche Grand Prix.

The Ukrainian next plays either Venus Williams or Anna-Lena Groenefeld, who played later Tuesday.

Another qualifier also advanced when Tsvetana Pironkova beat teenager Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-1. The Bulgarian next plays third-seeded Dinara Safina, who had a bye into the second round, along with the other top three players in the tournament - Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva.

Marion Bartoli of France advanced by beating Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-1 and Victoria Azarenka wasted a 5-2 lead before overcoming Agnes Szavay 7-5, 6-3.

The indoor tournament has brought together eight of the top 10 players in the world, with only Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova missing.

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Nishikori advances at Japan Open

TOKYO (AP) -Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori beat American Robert Kendrick in three sets Tuesday to advance to the second round of the Japan Open.

Nishikori downed Kendrick 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-2 at Ariake Colosseum and will meet Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the second round on Wednesday.

Defending champion David Ferrer of Spain - the top-seeded player at the US$869,000 (?605,000) tournament - has a first-round bye along with second-seeded Andy Roddick of the United States.

In other first-round matches, Croatia's Roko Karanusic defeated Japanese qualifier Hiroki Kondo 6-2, 6-2. Karanusic will next meet No. 9 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.

Wayne Odesnik of the United States downed compatriot Kevin Kim 6-4, 6-3 to set up a clash with Serb Viktor Troicki, while Jesse Levine, also of the United States, rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 win over Thailand's Danai Udomchoke. Levine will face Ferrer in the second round.

In the US$175,000 (?121,000) women's bracket, there were two upsets.

Russian 17-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova knocked out third-seeded Zheng Jie of China 6-1, 6-2, while Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic eliminated fourth-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Pavlyuchenkova advanced to a second-round meeting with Japanese qualifier Rika Fujiwara, while Zakopalova will take on Poland's Marta Domachowska.

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark avoided becoming another high-profile casualty when she rallied from a set down to defeat Gisela Dulko of Argentina, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3. Wozniacki's next opponent will be Japanese wildcard Ayumi Morita.

Israel's Shahar Peer, seeded sixth, defeated Japanese veteran Kimiko Krumm Date 6-3, 6-1. The 38-year-old Date, who made her comeback to pro tennis this year, won this tournament four times in the 1990s.

Nishikori took control of his match when he broke Kendrick with a blistering crosscourt forehand to go ahead 3-2 in the third set. He won the match when Kendrick's return in the final game was long.

"He's got a very good serve,'' the 18-year-old Nishikori said of his opponent. "I knew I just had to wait for a chance and finally I got it in the third set and was able to break him.''

Nishikori was returning to Japan after losing in the first round of this tournament in his debut last year.

He beat American James Blake at Delray Beach in February to win his first ATP singles title and also beat World No. 4 Ferrer in the third round of the U.S. Open before falling to Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth round.

Nishikori said his experience in the past year has made him a better player.

"It's a huge relief to win here in Japan,'' said Nishikori, who is 84th in the world rankings. "Last year, I was very nervous and couldn't play my game. This year I was nervous too but was able to settle down and I think that's a result of the confidence I've built up in the last year.''

Nishikori has given the men's game a boost in Japan, which - until his win earlier this year - had not had a winner in men's singles on the ATP tour since Shuzo Matsuoka won in Seoul in 1992.

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Peng Shuai advances at Tashkent Open

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) -Top-seeded Peng Shuai of China advanced to the second round of the Tashkent Open with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Russia's Arina Rodionova on Tuesday.

Kyrgyz teenager Ksenia Palkina scored her first victory over a player inside the top 50, upsetting second-seeded Olga Govortsova of Belarus 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-5.

"I still cannot fully realize that I've won,'' said Palkina, who is ranked 203rd. " In the middle of the match I thought my chances of winning were about 40 percent.'' Palkina had never before played the 44th-ranked Govortsova.

In other first-round upsets, Urszula Radwanska of Poland eliminated seventh-seeded local favorite Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 7-6 (5), 6-3, while Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus downed eighth-seeded Galina Voskovboeva of Russia 6-1, 6-1.

Third-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania also advanced to the second round by beating Ekaterina Dzehalevich of Belarus 7-6 (4), 7-5.

Another Romanian - Monica Niculescu, seeded sixth, won the first set 7-5 and was leading 1-0 in the second against Olga Shevchuk when the Ukrainian retired due to fatigue.

The last match of the first round between Vlada Ekshibarova of Uzbekistan and Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands was postponed till Wednesday because of heavy rain.

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Lisicki reaches second round at Tashkent Open

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) -Fourth-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany reached the second round of the Tashkent Open by easily beating Dilyara Saidkhodjaeva of Uzbekistan 6-0, 6-1 Monday.

Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia also advanced on the hard courts of the Dynamo Tennis Club. The fifth-seeded Rybarikova defeated Kathrin Woerle of Germany 6-4, 6-4.

Also, Sofia Shapatava of Georgia beat Kinnie Laisne of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

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Serena returns for first time since U.S. Open

STUTTGART, Germany - Serena Williams would happily forego the $100,000 prize money that goes to the winner of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

She'd much rather drive off in the bright red convertible parked courtside.

The tournament gives the winner a choice — either a cash prize or a low-slung Porsche 911 sports car. Williams, returning to action for the first time since beating Jelena Jankovic in the final of the U.S. Open three weeks ago and regaining the No. 1 ranking in the world, has no doubts about which she'd prefer.

"I've been trying for so long to win the Porsche, it's about time to take that 911 home,'' Williams said Monday.

Williams lost in the quarterfinals last year, to Svetlana Kuznetsova, and she could run into the Russian again at the same stage this week.

Both Williams sisters are in Stuttgart. Venus is seeded sixth and is in the different half of the draw, meaning the sisters cannot meet until the final.

Serena will also be seeking to defend her No. 1 ranking. Jankovic, who won the China Open Sunday, is only 21 points behind.

"I'm close to gaining the No. 1 spot again, but I'm just trying to focus on playing one match at a time and working on my game,'' Jankovic said in China. "I would love to come back to No. 1 and end the year at No. 1.''

Serena has the same goal.

"The U.S. Open is not the end of the year,'' Williams said. "I hope to do well in the last tournaments of the year.''

The nine-time Grand Slam champion had a first-round bye and will play Li Na in her opener. The Chinese player beat Nicole Vaidisova 6-1, 6-2 in the first match of the tournament Monday.

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Delic advances at Japan Open

TOKYO (AP) -Amer Delic beat Go Soeda of Japan 6-4, 6-2 Monday to advance to the second round of the Japan Open.

Defending champion David Ferrer of Spain - the top-seeded player has a first-round bye along with second-seeded Andy Roddick.

Fifth-seeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia rallied from a slow start for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in the women's tournament.

Also, Ayumi Morita of Japan beat New Zealand's Marina Erakovic 6-1, 6-4 and Marta Domachowska defeated Aiko Nakamura of Japan 6-4, 7-5.

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Kirilenko advances at Korea Open
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Tsonga wins Thailand Open

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Novak Djokovic 7-6 (4), 6-4 to win the Thailand Open on Sunday, clinching his first career title and avenging his loss to the top-seeded Serbian in the Australian Open final.

The second-seeded Frenchman saved three break points in the last game before sealing his victory.

Tsonga fired big forehands to outplay Djokovic at the baseline and at the net. He insisted that his loss to Djokovic in Melbourne was not a motivating factor.

"I didn't even think about the revenge,'' Tsonga said. "It's very special to win my first tournament. I wanted this since I was young. It's a dream come true.''

Djokovic, ranked No. 3 in the world, looked sluggish at times. He ended the match by lobbing Tsonga's serve long.

"I'd like to congratulate Tsonga for his first title,'' Djokovic said during the trophy ceremony. "I hope to see more great things from him in the future.''

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Kirilenko beats Stosur for Korea Open title

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Top-seeded Maria Kirilenko rallied from a set down to claim the Korea Open with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Australia's Samantha Stosur on Sunday.

Stosur broke the Russian player in the third and fifth games of the first set to make a confident start to the match, before Kirilenko came back to win her third WTA title of the year.

Kirilenko took advantage of several unforced errors to break Stosur twice before serving out the second set. After leading 4-0 in the third, Kirilenko held out a determined Stosur to take the match in just over two hours.

No. 33 on the WTA rankings, Kirilenko, 21, adds the Korea Open title to the Estoril and Barcelona championships she won earlier this year. Stosur has yet to win a WTA singles title.

The Korean title gives Kirilenko a measure of redemption after she lost to Venus Williams in the final here last year and came to Seoul having been beaten in the first round of her previous three tournaments - at New Haven, the U.S. Open in August and Tokyo last week.

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Roddick reaches final at China Open

BEIJING - Andy Roddick will take on unheralded Dudi Sela in the China Open final, while Jelena Jankovic plays Svetlana Kuznetsova in the women’s title match.

Roddick was pushed hard by unseeded Bjorn Phau of Germany before winning 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-1 and Sela overpowered No. 7 Rainer Schuettler of Germany 6-3, 6-3 in the other semifinal.

On the women’s side, Jankovic fought off No. 5 Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in their semifinal, while Kuznetsova disappointed a noisy home crowd, beating China’s Zheng Jie 7-6 (3), 7-5.

The second-seeded Roddick is favored in the final against Sela, who will be aiming for his third upset of the tournament in Sunday’s matchup. The 92nd-ranked Israeli has already ousted top-seeded David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo.

“For the final I have nothing to lose,” said Sela, who can become the first Israeli to take an ATP singles title since Amos Mansdorf in 1993. Harel Levy was the last Israeli to reach a singles final, in 2000 at Toronto.

Roddick overcame Phau in the third set, waiting patiently for his chance.

“For a while there he was just playing extremely high-risk tennis, and you figure if someone plays that way long enough they’re going to start missing a little bit,” Roddick said.

Roddick plans to rely on his powerful serve against Sela.

“The one advantage I do have over those guys is serving, so I’m going to have to take care of that and try to take my chances on his serve,” Roddick said. “There’s no doubt he’s playing extremely confident.”

If Jankovic wins the tournament, she will pull within 21 points of No. 1 Serena Williams in the WTA rankings. That would set up a showdown next week in Stuttgart, where Williams, No. 2 Jankovic and six other top-10 players are entered.

Jankovic has had problems with Kuznetsova. The Russian beat her last week in Tokyo and holds a 4-2 career edge.

“Of course, I would like to regain that No. 1 position,” Jankovic said. “For me the goal is to end the year as the No. 1 player in the world. I’m really working hard, really trying to win as many matches as possible, win titles.”

Roddick has been a crowd favorite in Beijing. His support might grow even stronger when word gets out that he’s donating $25,000 to victims of the May 12 earthquake in the Sichuan province. He said the gift was largely spontaneous after talking to people in China.

“We get paid a lot to go to a lot of different places, and I just feel like it’s something we should do,” Roddick said. “I plan on doing the same for the people who have been hit by the hurricane back home in Texas. It’s two similar things.”

Sela started his run with two weeks of practice before last weekend’s Davis Cup victory over Peru. He won both of his matches and then headed to China.

“This match today was on TV in Israel,” Sela said. “I’m getting a lot of phone calls, all the newspapers, TV.”

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Jankovic, Sela into China Open finals

BEIJING (AP) -Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic and unheralded Dudi Sela advanced to the finals of the China Open on Saturday.

Jankovic fought off No. 5 Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the women's semifinals, while the unseeded Sela downed No. 7 Rainer Schuettler of Germany 6-3, 6-3 on the men's side of the ATP-WTA event.

Sela will meet either second-seeded Andy Roddick or unseeded Bjorn Phau. Jankovic will play either Svetlana Kuznetsova or home favorite Zheng Jie.

If Jankovic wins the tournament, she will pull within 21 points of No. 1 Serena Williams in the WTA rankings. That will set up a showdown next week in Stuttgart, where Williams, Jankovic and six other top-10 players are entered.

Sela beat two highly rated Spaniards to reach the semifinals - David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo.

The 92nd-ranked Sela can become the first Israeli to take an ATP singles title since Amos Mansdorf in 1993. The last Israeli to reach a singles final was Harel Levy at Toronto in 2000.

"This match today was on TV in Israel,'' Sela said. "I'm getting a lot of phone calls, all the newspapers, TV.''

The Israeli started his run with two weeks of practice before last weekend's Davis Cup victory over Peru. Sela won his two singles matches and has kept his good form in China.

"I felt very good in practice and in the matches for Davis Cup,'' he said. "I felt very good coming here, and I think I have played very well.''

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Djokovic, Tsonga to meet in Thai final

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga set up a rematch of the Australian Open final by winning Saturday's semifinals at the Thailand Open.

Djokovic beat Thomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-1 while the second-seeded Tsonga ousted fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-0, 6-3.

The third-ranked Djokovic captured the first set with a bit of luck, as the Serb's shot tapped the net and fell over to his opponent's side. Berdych then double faulted to lose his first service game of the second set, while a backhand error saw him go down 5-1. Djokovic closed the game out with a volley on his second match point.

"I felt as if I woke up from the dream in the second set. I felt sleepy in the first set,'' Djokovic said. "But in the second set I broke him twice. He had bad service games and I took the opportunities.''

Tsonga benefited from a string of unforced errors by Monfils to race to a 4-0 lead. He faced a break point in the next game, but his powerful serve bailed him out to go up 5-0. Tsonga set up a set point with a forehand down the line and took the set after Monfils's forehand landed in the net.

Monfils hit an ace to level the second set at 1-1 but the more aggressive Tsonga broke again for a 4-2 lead with a passing shot. He sealed the victory with a service winner to wrap up the match in just 52 minutes.

"I hit the ball very well, but didn't move well today,'' Tsonga said. "I just hope to move better tomorrow.''

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Kirilenko, Stosur reach Korea Open final

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Top-seeded Maria Kirilenko reached the Korea Open final Saturday after rallying for a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over No. 3 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

Kirilenko will meet Samantha Stosur in Sunday's final after the Australian eased past Jill Craybas of the United States 6-0, 6-1.

Russia's Kirilenko needed 2 hours, 18 minutes for her victory over Kanepi, which gives her a chance to claim her third title this year after winning at Estoril and Barcelona.

Kirilenko squandered a 5-1 lead before winning a close first set. Kanepi broke serve in the fourth game of the second set and held on to draw the match level.

Kanepi started the third set strongly, breaking serve in the first game before conceding several unforced errors that let Kirilenko regain her composure and hold on for the match.

"Today was so difficult. I was down 2-0 in the third set, and every game was really difficult,'' said Kirilenko, who lost to Venus Williams in the final here last year. "I'm really happy to get through all of this.''

Stosur combined a powerful serve and well-timed returns to beat Craybas in just 45 minutes.

"I played very well. I didn't really do anything wrong, and just never let Jill get into it,'' said Stosur, who is after her first WTA singles title. "I'm very, very happy with the way I played.''

Stosur and Kirilenko have played each other three times, with Stosur winning twice.

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Roddick into semis; Zheng upsets Ivanovic

BEIJING (AP) -Andy Roddick overcame four double faults in the first set - and a smashed racket to show for it - to beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday and reach the semifinals of the China Open.

The second-seeded American, who tossed away another racket in anger in the second set, served 23 aces to beat the Spaniard.

Roddick will face unseeded German Bjorn Phau in the semifinals, with Dudi Sela of Israel playing Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the other.

In women's quarterfinal play, No. 2-seeded Ana Ivanovic was ousted by home favorite Zheng Jie 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4. A semifinalist at Wimbledon, Zheng overcame the French Open champion and former No. 1-ranked Serb, whose serves and ground strokes were erratic.

The match lasted almost three hours, filled with exciting rallies, service breaks, strings of deuce games and unforced errors.

In the three other quarterfinals, No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia beat Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 7-5, 6-1; No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia defeated Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-4 and Russian No. 5 Vera Zvonareva beat Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-0, 6-1.

In the semifinals, Zheng plays Kuznetsova and Zvonareva faces Jankovic.

Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng had noisy support from home fans at the Beijing Tennis Center. She is the only Chinese woman still playing in the tournament after four others lost in the first round. She also beat Ivanovic en route to the Wimbledon semifinals.

"This is a good win for me,'' she said. "It was in China and in front of my home crowd. There were lots of fans supporting me, which gave me even more motivation.''

Ranked No. 30 by the WTA, Zheng is hoping the ranking points earned in China will push her past her previous career high of No. 27.

Ivanovic has battled hand and leg injuries since winning in Paris, which has limited her play and confidence. However, she described her match Friday as "one of the best'' since the French Open.

"I haven't had many matches in the last three months,'' she said. "Since the French Open, you can count them on one hand the number of matches I played. I've been really struggling with injuries and it was a very frustrating time. But now I am confident again that I play 100 percent - and I can go on the court and work 100 percent.''

In the men's quarterfinals, Sela of Israel upset No. 6 Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-4, 6-1 to reach his first semifinal in a major ATP event. Sela was boosted by two wins over the weekend in a Davis Cup tie against Peru.

Sela trailed early against Robredo, but turned things around by attacking and hitting to the Spaniard's backhand.

"Every short ball he hit, I didn't wait,'' said Sela, who upset No. 1 David Ferrer on Thursday. "I went for the ball. I knew I had to attack him. If not he's going to move me around.''

Two other seeded players also lost on Friday.

No. 7 Schuettler ousted No. 4 Richard Gasquet 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Phau defeated No. 3 seed and defending champion Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

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Kirilenko, Kanepi, Craybas advance in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Top-seeded Maria Kirilenko advanced to the Korea Open semifinals Friday with a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 5 Pauline Parmentier of France.

Kirilenko saved all six break points she faced and hit a forehand winner to take the first set. The Russian overcame a slow start in the second to take control as Parmentier faded in a flurry of double faults and unforced errors.

"It was a difficult match today. Every game was really difficult,'' Kirilenko said. "It was really tough and I'm really happy that I fight till the end.''

Jill Craybas of the United States upset second-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel 6-2, 7-5 to set up a semifinals meeting with Australia's Samantha Stosur, who won 6-3, 6-4 against Ekaterina Makarova of Russia.

Kirilenko, already a champion in Estoril and Barcelona this year, will next face third-seeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, who defeated Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 6-4.

Tour veteran Craybas, 34, is chasing just her second WTA singles title after winning in Tokyo in 2002.

"I never go into a tournament not thinking that I can win,'' she said. "I feel like you have to go into a tournament that way. It gives you confidence and it helps you play better. So I go into every tournament thinking that I can win it.''

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Kirilenko advances in Korean Open

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Top-seeded Maria Kirilenko reached her sixth quarterfinal of the year in beating Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-3 at the Korea Open on Thursday.

Kirilenko beat the Czech for a fourth time in as many matches.

The Russian, already a champion in Estoril and Barcelona this year, will next meet fifth-seeded Pauline Parmentier after the Frenchwoman defeated Canadian qualifier Stephanie Dubois 6-3, 6-2 in the second round.

Third-seeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia put away Russian qualifier Anastasia Pivovarova 6-1, 6-1 but No. 8 Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan couldn't keep her seeded rendezvous with Kanepi.

Chan was upset by 18-year-old Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-3, 7-6 (2).

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Djokovic advances at Thailand Open

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic cruised into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-3 win Thursday over qualifier Simon Stadler at the Thailand Open.

The third-ranked Serb used his flat groundstrokes to sail through the first set in 22 minutes. He trailed 2-0 in the second set before rallying to win five of the next six games, ending the match with a backhand winner.

"The second set was a bit difficult as I couldn't get the first serve percentage high,'' Djokovic said.

Nicolas Mahut defeated fifth-seed Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and sixth-seed Robin Soderling beat Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-1, 6-3. Tomas Berdych joined them in the quarterfinals after defeating Simone Bolelli 7-5, 6-1.

Peer reaches Korea Open quarterfinals

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Israel's Shahar Peer reached the quarterfinals of Korea Open with a straight sets win over Japan's Ayumi Morita on Wednesday, positioning herself for a run to the final.

After just two rounds, Peer is the only seeded player left in the bottom half of the draw after her 6-4, 7-5 win.

Her quarterfinal opponent will be American veteran Jill Craybas, who downed towering Uzbek Agkul Amanmuradova 7-6 (1), 6-2.

The other quarterfinal match to be determined Wednesday will see Australia's Samantha Stosur take on Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

Stosur, regarded more as a doubles specialist, struggled past German Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3. Makarova downed Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-2.

Top seed Maria Kirilenko will be in action Thursday for her second-round match against Czech Lucie Safarova.

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U.S. opens 2009 Davis Cup against Switzerland

MADRID, Spain (AP) -The United States' chase for a 33rd Davis Cup title will start against Switzerland, while Spain and Argentina will both play their first matches at home following this year's final.

Tuesday's 2009 World Group draw handed the U.S. a tough opener at home against Switzerland, though it's not certain whether Roger Federer will play in the March 6-8 matches.

The countries split their two prior meetings, with Federer winning three points to lead the Swiss to victory in Basel in another first-round series played in 2001.

But Federer hasn't played in an early Davis Cup series since 2004, preferring to wait until the later rounds. The five-time Wimbledon and five-time U.S. Open champion led Switzerland to a 4-1 win over Belgium last weekend to stay in the elite 16-nation World Group.

Switzerland's other top player is No. 9-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka, who teamed with Federer to win the Olympic doubles gold medal in Beijing.

Federer said last week that the schedule is more conducive for Davis Cup next year.

"This year it was particularly brutal actually for all of us,'' he said. "It has been really difficult. Next year it is going to be easier.''

Swiss Tennis spokeswoman Sandra Perez said the team hopes Federer will play, noting that he is scheduled to play in the United States the following week at Indian Wells, California, from March 9-22.

"Roger has said he wants to put the Davis Cup into his calendar, but he wants to see all the details first,'' Perez said. "He will do anything possible to be there.

"From the perspective of the tournament calendar (the U.S.) is probably the best opponent we could get. Otherwise it is the most difficult draw.''

Argentina will host Spain in the 2008 final on Nov. 21-23. Argentina downed Russia 3-2 last weekend, while Rafael Nadal led Spain to 4-1 win over the Unites States.

Argentina will face the Netherlands and Spain will host Serbia in the first round in 2009, while Russia plays at Romania.

Also in the World Group, the Czech Republic hosts France, Chile is at Croatia, Sweden welcomes Israel and Austria goes to Germany.

---

Associated Press writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

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Roddick advances to quarterfinals; Ferrer upset

BEIJING (AP) -Andy Roddick overcame a Davis Cup hangover and jet lag to reach the quarterfinals of the China Open on Thursday. Spain's David Ferrer wasn't as fortunate.

Despite falling behind early, the second-seeded Roddick defeated fellow American Brendan Evans 6-4, 6-3.

Seeded No. 1, Ferrer was never in his second-round match, falling 6-3, 6-3 to Dudi Sela of Israel, who is No. 92 in the ATP rankings - 87 spots behind the Spaniard.

Both Roddick and Ferrer had byes in the first round and some extra days off following Spain's emotional Davis Cup semifinal victory last weekend over the United States in Madrid. But it was Roddick who was ready to rebound despite falling behind early against Evans.

"From 4-2 down in the first set I started feeling a little better,'' Roddick said. "It's a little tough going from clay last weekend in Spain to dealing with the jet lag and what not.''

Roddick was mentored by Andre Agassi as a young player. After the match, he gave his younger compatriot a few tips.

"I told him (Evans) I thought he took his foot off the accelerator a little bit when he was up in the match,'' Roddick explained. "And maybe he stopped being as aggressive as he was to get in the lead, and that allowed me to get a rhythm.''

Roddick also acknowledged the outdoor hard court in Beijing suits him better than the red clay in Spain.

"I'm able to do some more stuff on a quicker court, a hard court,'' he said. "Clay limits my game a little bit more.''

Ferrer beat Roddick in a grueling five-set match in the Davis Cup. He didn't look for excuses Thursday, noting Sela had also played Davis Cup against Peru in Israel before traveling to China.

"I was maybe a little bit tired and didn't sleep well these last two nights,'' Ferrer said. "That's no excuse. He played better than me. It's not a good day for me.''

Sela has never reached the semifinals of a top-line ATP event, and will get his chance against Tommy Robredo. The sixth-seeded Spaniard reached the quarterfinals by beating Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3. In another second-round match, No. 7 Rainer Schuettler beat Jean-Claude Scherrer 6-1, 6-4.

In two other men's second-round matches, Bjorn Phau of Germany beat Sam Querrey of the United States 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain defeated Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-4.

On the women's side, Zheng Jie of China gained a quarterfinal berth by beating Ai Sugiyama of Japan 6-1, 6-2. Zheng is the only Chinese woman remaining in the draw after four others lost in the first round.

No. 2 Ana Ivanovic also reached the quarterfinals, beating Alize Cornet 6-1, 7-6 (1). And No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced by defeating Russian countrywoman Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 6-3.

In other women's second-round matches, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia beat No. 8 Anna Chakvetadze of Russia 6-3, 6-2, and No. 5 Vera Zvonareva of Russia advanced by defeating Francesca Schiavone of Italy 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Defending champion Agnes Szavay of Hungary was ousted by Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-2, 6-2.

The China Open is a combined ATP and WTA event, played together to make up for scheduling time lost during the Beijing Olympics.

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Sela upsets No. 1 Ferrer; Roddick advances

BEIJING (AP) -Dudi Sela of Israel knocked No. 1 David Ferrer out of the China Open on Thursday, beating the Spaniard 6-3, 6-3 in the second-round.

Ferrer, ranked No. 5 in the world and 87 places ahead of Sela, had a bye into the second round at the Beijing tournament after helping Spain defeat the United States last weekend in the Davis Cup semifinals in Madrid.

Ferrer didn't look for excuses, noting Sela had also played Davis Cup against Peru in Israel before traveling to China.

"I was maybe a little bit tired and didn't sleep well these last two nights,'' Ferrer said. "That's no excuse. He played better than me. It's not a good day for me.''

Ferrer suggested he may have been drained by a grueling five-set Davis Cup win over America's Andy Roddick.

"I didn't fight a lot because psychologically I'm not in a good moment now.''

Second-seeded Roddick defeated fellow American Brendan Evans 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.

China's home favorite Zheng Jie also gained a quarterfinals berth, beating Ai Sugiyama of Japan 6-1, 6-2. Zheng is the only Chinese woman remaining in the draw after four others lost in the first round.

In another early result, No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia beat countrywoman Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 6-3, to reach the quarterfinals.

The China Open is a combined ATP and WTA event, played together to make up for scheduling time lost during the Beijing Olympics.

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Jankovic reaches third round of China Open

BEIJING (AP) -Jelena Jankovic and Zheng Jie are adding a bit of tension to the China Open.

The top-seeded Jankovic beat Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 7-5 in the second round Wednesday, leaving her on course to threaten Serena Williams' hold on the top spot in women's tennis.

Jankovic can't overtake Williams this week - even if she wins Sunday's final - but it could happen next week when the two meet in Stuttgart where eight of the top 10 women are scheduled to play.

Jankovic can reach 4,070 points by winning this tournament, just 21 short of Williams.

Zheng reached the second round Wednesday, beating Agnieska Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 6-3. She's the only local woman to do so after the four others disappointed home fans with first-round losses.

Jankovic had some trouble with the Canadian, needing 35 minutes in the first set on a chilly, damp night on the outdoor courts at Beijing Tennis Center. She struggled in the second set, changing to warmer clothes late in a match that wrapped up a day delayed four hours by early rain.

In the past three months, Zheng has reached the Wimbledon semifinals and claimed the Olympic bronze medal in doubles with Yan Zi. But beating Radwanska might matter just as much - both to fans and sponsors trying to establish a tennis base in China.

"I felt as a Chinese player in an event in China, I should perform well,'' she said. "This is very important for me.''

Zheng reached the semifinals last week in a WTA event in Guangzhou in southern China, but caught a cold in the process.

"I actually thought about withdrawing, but the China Open is in my homeland so I thought I should stay and keep trying,'' she said.

The four other Chinese women in the first round all lost Monday. Fortunately for Zheng, her match was delayed a day due to rain, which allowed her to shake off a fever. She also got another break when rain delayed the start of play by four hours.

Zheng became a national heroine, saying after her Wimbledon success that she would donate her winnings in England to help survivors of the May 12 Sichuan earthquake that killed almost 70,000.

Zheng is from the Sichuan city of Chengdu, but she's not had time to return home.

"As a professional player, I should finish my season first,'' Zheng said. "I have a few events after this and then I plan to go back and see what I can do for them.''

In a key second-round match, No. 7 Daniela Hantuchova outlasted Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 0-6, 7-5.

The China Open is a men's and women's event.

The top-seeded David Ferrer and No. 2 Andy Roddick play second-round matches Thursday. Both received byes. Ferrer plays Dudi Sela of Israel and Roddick faces Brendan Evans in an all-American match.

On Wednesday, No. 8 Sam Querrey defeated Jesse Levine 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in another all-American match. Also, Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic beat Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Sela defeated Nicolas Devilder of France 6-4, 6-3; and Jean-Claude Scherrer of Switzerland beat Peng Sun of China 6-4, 7-6 (7).

Also, Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat Bobby Reynolds of the United States 6-3, 6-3; Go Soeda of Japan defeated Bai Yan of China 6-4, 7-5; and Brendan Evans of the United States downed Roko Karanusic of Croatia 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (10).

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Peer reaches Korea Open quarters

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Israel's Shahar Peer reached the quarterfinals of Korea Open with a straight sets win over Japan's Ayumi Morita on Wednesday, positioning herself for a run to the final.

After just two rounds, Peer is the only seeded player left in the bottom half of the draw after her 6-4, 7-5 win.

Her quarterfinal opponent will be American veteran Jill Craybas, who downed towering Uzbek Agkul Amanmuradova 7-6 (1), 6-2.

The other quarterfinal match to be determined Wednesday will see Australia's Samantha Stosur take on Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

Stosur, regarded more as a doubles specialist, struggled past German Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3. Makarova downed Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-2.

Top seed Maria Kirilenko will be in action Thursday for her second-round match against Czech Lucie Safarova.

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Zheng keeps a Chinese woman in China Open

BEIJING (AP) -Zheng Jie reached the second round of the China Open on Wednesday, becoming the only local woman to do so after four others disappointed home fans with first-round losses.

In the past three months Zheng had reached the Wimbledon semifinals and claimed the Olympic bronze medal in doubles with partner Yan Zi. But beating Poland's Agnieska Radwanska 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday might matter just as much - both to fans and sponsors trying to establish a tennis base in China.

"I felt as a Chinese player in an event in China, I should perform well,'' she said. "This is very important for me.''

Zheng reached the semifinals last week in a WTA event in Guangzhou in southern China, but caught a cold in the process.

"I actually thought about withdrawing, but the China Open is in my homeland so I thought I should stay and keep trying.''

The four other Chinese women in the first round all lost Monday. Fortunately for Zheng, her match was delayed a day due to rain, which allowed her to shake off a fever. She also got another break when rain delayed the start of play four hours.

Zheng became a national heroine, saying after her Wimbledon success that she would donate her winnings in England to help survivors of the May 12 Sichuan earthquake that killed almost 70,000.

Zheng is from the Sichuan city of Chengdu, but she's not had time to return home.

"As a professional player I should finish my season first,'' Zheng said. "I have a few events after this and then I plan to go back and see what I can do for them.''

In matches scheduled for later Wednesday, No. 1 Jelena Jankovic would face Aleksandra Wozniak and No. 5 Vera Zvonereva would play Francesca Schiavone.

The China Open is a men's and women's event.

The men's No. 1 David Ferrer and No. 2 Andy Roddick were expected to play first-round matches on Thursday.

On Wednesday, No. 8 Sam Querrey of the United States defeated fellow American Jesse Levine 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4). Also, Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic beat Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Dudi Sela of Israel defeated Nicolas Devilder of France 6-4, 6-3; Jean-Claude Scherrer of Switzerland beat Peng Sun of China 6-4, 7-6 (7).

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Kirilenko advances at Korea Open

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Top-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia easily advanced to the second round of the Korea Open on Tuesday, beating Lenka Wienerova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-0.

Two other seeded players won, while two lost on the hard courts of Olympic Park.

Third-seeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia beat Rika Fujiwara of Japan 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-0, and No. 8 Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan defeated Mara Santangelo of Italy 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Fourth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain and seventh-seeded Marina Erakovic of New Zealand lost, however. Suarez Navarro lost to Klara Zakopalova of Czech Republic 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-4, and Erakovic fell to Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-0.

Other winners included Ayumi Morita of Japan, Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, Stephanie Dubois of Canada, Jill Craybas of the United States, Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Anastasia Pivovarova of Russia.

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U.S. opens 2009 Davis Cup vs. Switzerland

MADRID, Spain (AP) -The United States' chase for a 33rd Davis Cup title will start against Switzerland, while Spain and Argentina will both play their first matches at home following this year's final.

Tuesday's 2009 World Group draw handed the U.S. a tough opener at home against Switzerland, though it's not certain whether Roger Federer will play in the March 6-8 matches.

The countries split their two prior meetings, with Federer winning three points to lead the Swiss to victory in Basel in another first-round series played in 2001.

But Federer hasn't played in an early Davis Cup series since 2004, preferring to wait until the later rounds. The five-time Wimbledon and five-time U.S. Open champion led Switzerland to a 4-1 win over Belgium last weekend to stay in the elite 16-nation World Group.

Switzerland's other top player is No. 9-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka, who teamed with Federer to win the Olympic doubles gold medal in Beijing.

Federer said last week that the schedule is more conducive for Davis Cup next year.

"This year it was particularly brutal actually for all of us,'' he said. "It has been really difficult. Next year it is going to be easier.''

Swiss Tennis spokeswoman Sandra Perez said the team hopes Federer will play, noting that he is scheduled to play in the United States the following week at Indian Wells, California, from March 9-22.

"Roger has said he wants to put the Davis Cup into his calendar, but he wants to see all the details first,'' Perez said. "He will do anything possible to be there.

"From the perspective of the tournament calendar (the U.S.) is probably the best opponent we could get. Otherwise it is the most difficult draw.''

Argentina will host Spain in the 2008 final on Nov. 21-23. Argentina downed Russia 3-2 last weekend, while Rafael Nadal led Spain to 4-1 win over the Unites States.

Argentina will face the Netherlands and Spain will host Serbia in the first round in 2009, while Russia plays at Romania.

Also in the World Group, the Czech Republic hosts France, Chile is at Croatia, Sweden welcomes Israel and Austria goes to Germany.

---

Associated Press writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

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В Nadal, Spain await Argentina in Davis Cup final

MADRID, Spain (AP) -Rafael Nadal isn't too worried about having to play the Davis Cup final against Argentina on a fast indoor court.

Nadal swept Andy Roddick in straight sets on clay Sunday, sending Spain past the reigning champion United States 4-1 and into its sixth final and third in eight years.

Argentina defeated Russia 3-2 in Buenos Aires in the other semifinal. It will host the Nov. 21-23 final at Orfeo arena in Cordoba, looking to offset the clay-court edge of Nadal and his teammates.

"It's not just the surface but the team that matters,'' Nadal said.

Argentina knows a faster surface may be the only way to beat Nadal, a four-time French Open champion who has lost only twice in his last 117 clay matches.

"They'll choose whatever works best for them. If they pick an indoor (stadium) we'll go looking to be as competitive as possible,'' Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said. "If they put us on grass we have the Wimbledon champion.''

Argentina, whose team features David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro, reached its third final by eliminating a Russian team confronted by a boisterous and intimidating crowd.

"The Argentine public is a factor if the games are close,'' Sanchez Vicario said. "But if there is any evident superiority in a match then the public will have little influence. It always depends on what happens on the court.''

And Nadal may be worn out after the longest season of his career. Nadal and most likely David Ferrer will have little time to recover from jet lag, having to travel directly to Argentina from the Masters Cup at Shanghai, China, which runs from Nov. 11-16.

Roddick faulted the Davis Cup organizers.

"They know that we love this competition, so they take advantage of it and pretty much put us through the ringer with the schedule not really caring if we get much rest or not,'' Roddick said. "But if anybody can handle it, it's probably (Nadal).''

Roddick knows just how strong Nadal can be on the clay after losing 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 on Sunday - the first time the U.S. player has been blanked in a set over 22 Davis Cup series.

"With Rafa having the year he's had you probably have to like Spain's chances at this point, but Argentina has been a strong team over the years,'' said Roddick, who helped lead the U.S. to the title last year.

Sanchez Vicario knows the task will not be easy.

"In the end, the best players are there and playing away will be tough,'' he said. "But with this team, we can do it.''

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Argentina's Davis Cup venue in doubt

MADRID, Spain (AP) -Argentina's bid to host the Davis Cup final against Spain on indoor carpet will only be accepted if the country's tennis federation selects a venue that meets stringent crowd capacity requirements, ITF officials said Tuesday.

Argentina captain Alberto Mancini said after the semifinal win over Russia that the team would host the Nov. 21-23 final on a fast-playing surface to gain an advantage over top-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain.

Cordoba's Orfeo Stadium has a fast synthetic surface, but the stadium falls short of the 12,000-seating capacity required by the International Tennis Federation to host a final.

"Absolutely these are the requirements. The rules are not open to interpretation,'' ITF executive vice president and Davis Cup committee chairman Juan Margets told The Associated Press.

An ITF observer was already in Cordoba performing inspections at the stadium, Margets added.

Argentina must submit its application for the host venue to tennis' governing body by Monday. The ITF is likely to decide within about a week if it meets criteria.

"If it doesn't conform to the rules, we don't play there,'' Davis Cup committee member Neil Fraser said. "They know that the final has to be in a venue that fits at least 12,000 spectators.''

Slovakia hosted the 2005 final against Croatia at the 4,100-capcity Sibamac Arena National Tennis Centre, although the ITF said that was allowed because it was the only option available.

"They can put down whatever surface they want. That's not the issue, it's about meeting our rules,'' Margets said. "We must reiterate that we haven't received any official application. But Argentina has stadiums capable of meeting requirements.''

Margets said that a hard-playing surface could easily be laid at Buenos Aires' Estadio Parque Roca stadium, which holds more than 14,000 people.

Spain, led by four-time French Open champion Nadal, has arguably the world's best clay-court roster.

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Spaniards get winning starts in China

BEIJING (AP) -Tommy Robredo and Juan Carlos Ferrero had winning starts Tuesday in the China Open, which may look like the Spanish Open when it wraps up this weekend.

Robredo defeated Spanish countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 7-5 in the first round, and the former top-ranked Ferrero of Spain beat Alexandre Kudryavtsev of Russia 6-4, 6-3.

The top-seeded player in the tournament is from Spain - David Ferrer. He and No. 2 Andy Roddick play first-round matches Thursday. Both were given extra rest following Spain's victory over the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals in Madrid last week.

"When you are young and you see a lot of people playing tennis and you can practice with them, your level goes up quickly,'' said Robredo, who was left off the Spanish Davis Cup team for the semifinal. "This is helping Spanish tennis.''

Added Ferrero: "In the last few years we have improved on hard courts, also on grass. So we can play anywhere now and that is one of the keys to having a lot of players in the top 100.''

Robredo was the runner-up in Beijing a year ago, losing the final to Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. Gonzalez is back this year and seeded No. 3.

Six Spaniards started in the first round of the 32-player draw, a strong turnout even without top-ranked Rafa Nadal.

The China Open is a men's and women's event being played at the Beijing Tennis Center. It moves next year to the tennis venue built for the recent Beijing Olympics.

The ATP and WTA tournaments are being played together to make up for time lost from the schedule during the Beijing Olympics.

In the WTA event, two Serbians are the top seeded players - No. 1 Jelena Jankovic and No. 2 Ana Ivanovic. Jankovic plays Wednesday with Ivanovic set for Thursday. The draw also features two others in the top 10 - Russian players Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva.

Tuesday was supposed to be a showcase for Chinese women, but it didn't work out that way. The five Chinese women in the tournament all played first-round matches, and four lost. The last hope was Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie. However, her late match with sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was rained out.

Li Na fell to Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-1, 7-6 (4); Yan Zi lost to Ai Sugiyama of Japan 6-3, 6-4; Peng Shuai was beaten by Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia 7-5, 6-4; and Zhang Shuai lost to Alize Cornet of France.

Defending champion Agnes Szavay of Hungary defeated Yaroslava Shvedova 6-4, 6-3.

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Italian tennis federation bans Bolelli

ROME (AP) -The Italian tennis federation has banned one of its top players, Simone Bolelli, from future national team events for skipping the weekend's Davis Cup tie with Latvia.

The 45th-ranked Bolelli instead opted to play tour events in Bangkok, Thailand, and Tokyo this week and next.

Monday's ban prevents Bolelli from playing in Davis Cup and the Olympics. It will also prevent him from getting wild cards that are assigned for select tournaments by the federation.

Bolelli said he told Italy captain Corrado Barrazzutti well in advance of the tie that he preferred to work on his fast-court game in Asia.

Italy beat Latvia 3-2 in a Europe-Africa zone relegation playoff in Montecatini, led by 28th-ranked Andreas Seppi, No. 72 Fabio Fognini and No. 76 Potito Starace.

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Nadal, Spain await Argentina

MADRID, Spain (AP) -Rafael Nadal isn't too worried about having to play the Davis Cup final against Argentina on a fast indoor court.

Nadal swept Andy Roddick in straight sets on clay Sunday, sending Spain past the reigning champion United States 4-1 and into its sixth final and third in eight years.

Argentina defeated Russia 3-2 in Buenos Aires in the other semifinal. It will host the Nov. 21-23 final at Orfeo arena in Cordoba, looking to offset the clay-court edge of Nadal and his teammates.

"It's not just the surface but the team that matters,'' Nadal said.

Argentina knows a faster surface may be the only way to beat Nadal, a four-time French Open champion who has lost only twice in his last 117 clay matches.

"They'll choose whatever works best for them. If they pick an indoor (stadium) we'll go looking to be as competitive as possible,'' Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said. "If they put us on grass we have the Wimbledon champion.''

Argentina, whose team features David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro, reached its third final by eliminating a Russian team confronted by a boisterous and intimidating crowd.

"The Argentine public is a factor if the games are close,'' Sanchez Vicario said. "But if there is any evident superiority in a match then the public will have little influence. It always depends on what happens on the court.''

And Nadal may be worn out after the longest season of his career. Nadal and most likely David Ferrer will have little time to recover from jet lag, having to travel directly to Argentina from the Masters Cup at Shanghai, China, which runs from Nov. 11-16.

Roddick faulted the Davis Cup organizers.

"They know that we love this competition, so they take advantage of it and pretty much put us through the ringer with the schedule not really caring if we get much rest or not,'' Roddick said. "But if anybody can handle it, it's probably (Nadal).''

Roddick knows just how strong Nadal can be on the clay after losing 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 on Sunday - the first time the U.S. player has been blanked in a set over 22 Davis Cup series.

"With Rafa having the year he's had you probably have to like Spain's chances at this point, but Argentina has been a strong team over the years,'' said Roddick, who helped lead the U.S. to the title last year.

Sanchez Vicario knows the task will not be easy.

"In the end, the best players are there and playing away will be tough,'' he said. "But with this team, we can do it.''

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Nadal tops Roddick to end U.S. Davis Cup hope

MADRID, Spain - The U.S. reign as Davis Cup champion ended Sunday, with an ailing Rafael Nadal beating Andy Roddick in a straight-sets victory that sent Spain to the final for the sixth time.

The top-ranked player won 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 on a clay court at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena, giving Spain an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five format. Spain will play for the title against Argentina or Russia. The Argentines lead that semifinal 2-1 in Buenos Aires.

“It’s one of the nicest sensations you can experience in your career,” said Nadal, who dropped to his knees and pumped his fists after the victory.

Nadal said after the match he nearly didn’t play because an MRI scan Saturday showed a strained buttock muscle.

He broke Roddick five times, saved all seven break points and served eight aces. He won on his sixth match point by slicing a backhand winner across court from deep behind the baseline.

Nadal, a master on clay and a four-time French Open champion, picked Roddick apart with an array of passing shots, ground strokes and serves before a boisterous crowd of nearly 21,000.

Roddick was blanked in a set for the first time in 22 Davis Cup series. Nadal also beat Roddick in the 2004 final at Seville to help Spain capture its second Davis Cup title.

“I don’t think you could draw up a tougher scenario than playing Nadal away in front of this crowd,” Roddick said.

Roddick, a former U.S. Open champion, fell to 0-5 in must-win Davis Cup matches and 0-4 against players ranked higher than he is. The 26-year-old American, known for his big serve, had only eight aces with four coming in the next-to-last game.

“He’s the best clay-courter of all time and I’m not that good of a clay-courter,” Roddick said. “He wasn’t leaving any balls short; he was kind of going for his shots.”

Roddick ventured to the net, but the strategy did not yield much against an opponent as savvy as Nadal.

“It was high risk, high reward,” he said. “I don’t think there was much of a chance for me to sit back and trade punches with him from the baseline.”

Nadal and David Ferrer led Spain’s sweep of opening singles Friday. The U.S., a 32-time Davis Cup champion, earned its point from Saturday’s doubles victory by Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan.

In the other reverse singles Sunday, Feliciano Lopez replaced Ferrer to play Sam Querrey in a now meaningless match.

Nadal, who has only lost twice in his past 117 clay matches, first troubled Roddick in the fifth game of the first set, but the American saved that double-break chance.

The Spaniard set up a triple-break chance in the eighth game with a backhand passing shot after a volley exchange. He then hit a forehand down the line to break for a 4-3 lead. The crowd became charged up after Nadal rolled on the clay in vain to reach a drop shot.

In the 10th game, Roddick had a double-break chance after Nadal hit long. Roddick flubbed the first one before Nadal delivered a forehand slam at the net, then closed things out with his third ace.

Roddick was exasperated after a 12-shot rally in the third game of the second set finished when Nadal hit a backhand into the corner. A return winner set up a double-break chance, which Nadal converted with a backhand.

Roddick had another break chance in the sixth game thanks to a well-crafted drop shot, but Nadal caught the American going the other way with a volley. Nadal closed the second set as he did the first — with an ace.

Roddick finally won a game to open the third set and then set up a triple-break chance in the second game. But Nadal hit a winner before Roddick sent two shots down the line wide. He let out a roar as Nadal saved again.

Roddick won about half as many first-serve points as Nadal, and was soon down 2-1 after hitting out to drop serve.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe offered only a chuckle to Roddick during the changeover with the American trailing 3-2 and the crowd chanting Roddick’s name.

Nadal was unable to break Roddick one last time in the ninth game. The American saved five match points before Nadal eventually clinched the victory.

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Zvonareva reaches final in Guangzhou

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -Vera Zvonareva won her seventh WTA Tour singles title Sunday, beating China's Peng Shuai in the final of the Guangzhou Internernational.

The 24-year-old Russian dropped her first set of the tournament against the fourth-seeded Peng but came back to win 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-2.

The top-seeded Zvonareva, an Olympic bronze medalist ranked No. 9 in the world, collected her second title for the year after winning the Prague Open in May.

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Zvonareva through to 2nd round in Guangzhou Int’l
Zvonareva to quarterfinals in Guangzhou

SafinaВ beats Kuznetsova forВ Pan Pacific Open title

TOKYO (AP) -Dinara Safina overpowered Russian compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets Sunday to win the Pan Pacific Open for her fourth WTA title of the season.

Fourth-seeded Safina coasted to a 6-1, 6-3 win over fifth-seeded Kuznetsova in a match that lasted 1 hour and 18 minutes at Ariake Colosseum.

"I've played the best tennis this week I've ever played,'' said Safina, who will move up to No. 3 in the world rankings. "It's always nice to move up in the rankings and hopefully I can keep improving.''

Safina broke Kuznetsova with a crosscourt forehand from the baseline to go up 3-2 in the second set.

She broke Kuznetsova for the third time in the final game, winning the match when her opponent's forehand volley went wide.

Safina has also won this year in Los Angeles, Montreal and Berlin and is now tied with current No. 1 Serena Williams for the most titles in 2008.

It was the 10th meeting between the two Russians. Safina now has six wins against four losses.

Former U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova was bidding for her first title of 2008.

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Kuznetsova reaches final at Pan Pacific Open
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Russia stays alive against Argentina in Davis Cup

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -Russia kept Argentina from clinching a berth in the Davis Cup finals Saturday when Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov rallied from 3-1 down in the fifth set to beat David Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas 6-2, 6-1, 6-7 (9), 3-6, 8-6.

Argentina had won the opening singles matches on Friday and captain Alberto Mancini had hoped to seal the tie on Saturday. He used his best player, world No. 7 Nalbandian, in the doubles after he had won easily on Friday.

"We were on our way to victory, but we couldn't pull through,'' Mancini said.

But after a doubles match that lasted 3 hours, 37 minutes, Nalbandian might have to summon his reserves in the first reverse singles on Sunday. He's scheduled to play the top Russian, sixth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko.

The loss was Nalbandian's first at home since his 2002 Davis Cup debut, giving him a 26-7 record.

In the second reverse singles, Juan Martin del Potro is expected to meet Igor Andreev. Argentina is trying to avenge its loss to Russia in the 2006 finals.

The winner of the semifinal will face either Spain or defending champion United States. Spain leads their semifinal 2-1.

After comfortably winning the first two sets, Kunitsyn and Tursunov came back from 3-0 down and a set point at 4-5 to force a tiebreaker. In that, the Russians had three match points at 6-3.

Canas rubbed out the first with a winner down the line, Nalbandian's backhand scraped the clay on the baseline on the second, and Tursunov netted a backhand on the third, causing the Parque Roca Stadium crowd to erupt in joy.

Argentina then had three more set points but needed a fourth at 10-9 to finally win the set on a Canas volley.

Argentina won the fourth set and led 3-1 in the fifth.

The home pair appeared to have all the momentum, but Canas and Nalbandian lost their serves. The decisive break came in the 13th game, when Canas unloaded two double-faults to lose serve. Tursunov held and won on Russia's fifth match point.

Mancini remained optimistic.

"On paper, we're exactly where we wanted to be: 2-1.''

---

Associated Press writer Eric Weil contributed to this report.

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Bryan, Fish rally to cut Spain's lead to 2-1

MADRID, Spain - The United States won the doubles match Saturday to trail Spain 2-1 in the Davis Cup semifinals.

Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish rallied to defeat Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on clay to give the U.S. its first point after being swept in singles on Friday.

“(The win) gives us a big shot of adrenaline,” U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal can clinch Spain’s sixth final appearance by defeating Andy Roddick in reverse singles on Sunday. David Ferrer of Spain plays Sam Querrey in the other match.

The winning team will face either Argentina or Russia, with the Argentines leading their semifinal in Buenos Aires.

Spain took advantage of the American pair’s shaky serve early on to register the first break point and first set. Fish, a last-minute replacement for Bob Bryan (shoulder injury), clinched the second set before Bryan’s backhand brought the key break on the way to securing the third set.

It was the first time in 16 Davis Cup matchups that the Bryans didn’t play together.

“I admired the way Mardy stayed with me,” Bryan said. “That kept me up, he kept me positive.”

The U.S. looked set to close it out when Verdasco floated a backhanded volley long for an early break in the fourth set, but Fish netted Lopez’s forehand to force the decisive fifth set.

A costly miss by Lopez gave the U.S. the only break and ultimately the match at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena.

“They did all they could, and I can’t ask for any more,” Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said. “The other team just managed to do a little bit better than us.”

The U.S. has won a record 32 Davis Cup titles but has rallied just once in 32 attempts when trailing 2-0 — in 1934 against Britain.

The eighth-ranked Roddick has a difficult task against Nadal, a four-time French Open champion who has only lost two of his last 116 clay-court matches.

“I’m not worried,” McEnroe said. “(Andy) knows what he has to do, he’s been in this position many times before.”

The Americans also won the doubles over Spain in the 2004 final in Seville, but the Spaniards went on to capture their second title.

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Kuznetsova, Safina in final at Pan Pacific Open

TOKYO (AP) -Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina cruised into the final of the Pan Pacific Open with straight-set victories Saturday.

Fifth-seeded Kuznetsova beat Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik 7-6 (5), 6-2, while Safina routed compatriot Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-0 in the second semifinal.

"I'm enjoying myself here,'' Kuznetsova said. "I'm trying to do new things and it's exciting to be on the court.''

After a closely contested first set, Kuznetsova took control in the second, breaking Srebotnik three times.

Kuznetsova broke Srebotnik with a backhand down the line in the seventh game to go ahead 5-2. She raced to a 40-love lead in the next game but Srebotnik fought back to deuce before Kuznetsova won her fourth match point.

Kuznetsova, who won the U.S. Open in 2004, will be bidding for her first title of 2008. Her last Tier I singles title was in 2006 in Miami. She helped Russia to a win over Spain in the Fed Cup final Monday and said that win boosted her heading to Japan.

"Winning the Fed Cup has given me more motivation,'' Kuznetsova said.

It was Safina's first win in six matches against Petrova.

"There is a first time for everything in life and today was my first win over her,'' said Safina, who is fifth in the WTA rankings and had seven aces.

"We've had some good matches in the past,'' added Safina. "I wasn't like I was thinking that I had never beaten her before, the strategy was to just go out there and hit the ball as hard as I can.''

Safina wasn't thinking too much about Sunday's final being an all-Russian affair.

"It's just another match,'' Safina said. "We know each other well and I hope it's going to be a good match that we both can enjoy.''

Kuznetsova reaches final at Pan Pacific Open
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Kuznetsova reaches final at Pan Pacific Open

TOKYO (AP) -Svetlana Kuznetsova overpowered qualifier Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia in straight sets Saturday to ensure an all-Russian final at the WTA Pan Pacific Open.

Fifth-seeded Kuznetsova defeated Srebotnik 7-6 (5), 6-2 and will face the winner of Saturday's other semifinal between Russians Dinara Safina and Nadia Petrova.

After a closely contested first set, Kuznetsova took control in the second set, breaking Srebotnik three times.

Kuznetsova broke Srebotnik with a backhand down the line in the seventh game to go ahead 5-2.

She held a 40-love lead in the final game but Srebotnik fought back to deuce, but Kuznetsova won it with a serve on her fourth match point.

Kuznetsova beat top-seeded Jelena Jankovic to reach Saturday's semifinal. Srebotnik upset Olympic gold medalist and third-seeded Elena Dementieva.

Kuznetsova, who won the U.S. Open in 2004, will be bidding for her first title of 2008. Her last Tier I singles title was in 2006 in Miami.

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Argentina leads Russia 2-0 in Davis Cup semi

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -Juan Martin del Potro dispatched Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in their Davis Cup semifinal Friday to put Argentina one win from avenging its loss to Russia in the 2006 final.

The 19-year-old del Potro gave Argentina a 2-0 lead after seventh-ranked David Nalbandian beat Russian Igor Andreev 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in the first singles match.

Del Potro - who rose to 13th in the rankings from 81st since April after a 23-match winning streak - was playing his first home Davis Cup match. He showed no signs of nerves in front of the raucous sellout crowd of 14,000, making Davydenko hustle for nearly every point.

Davydenko made errors at the end of several long rallies, and Del Potro broke his serve in the fourth and sixth game to secure the first set. The Argentine then took a 4-1 lead in the second and was able to hold on after Davydenko managed a break of his own.

The Russian was broken again in the first and fifth games of the third set.

"I had a great debut and I hope we win one more point and get to the finals,'' del Potro said. "The support of the crowd made some really nerve-racking moments easier.''

Nalbandian won his first set after rallying from 4-1 down in the tiebreaker, and then got two breaks in the second. The third set went with service up to 5-4, before Nalbandian broke to clinch the match.

Nalbandian has a 26-6 Davis Cup record, and has never lost a home match since his debut in 2002.

In doubles Saturday, Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas are set to face Russia's Igor Kunitsyn and Dimitry Tursunov.

Agustin Calleri had been scheduled to play doubles with Canas, but Argentine captain Alberto Mancini changed the pairing after Nalbandian's singles match wasn't as physically demanding as expected and Mancini was more comfortable with the doubles pairing he'd used in recent Davis Cup matches.

Argentina has not lost at home in 10 years, winning 12 straight ties, but has never won the Davis Cup.

Spain is leading defending champion United States 2-0 in the other semifinal.

---

Associated Press writer Eric Weil contributed to this report.

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Roddick blows lead, U.S. trails Spain 0-2

MADRID, Spain - Andy Roddick lost to David Ferrer in five sets, giving Spain a commanding 2-0 lead Friday over the defending champion United States in their Davis Cup semifinal.

The fifth-ranked Ferrer defeated No. 8 Roddick 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6 before a near-capacity crowd of 21,000 at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena.

Earlier, top-ranked Rafael Nadal gave the hosts the early advantage with a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Sam Querrey.

Spain, which hasn’t lost a clay-court Davis Cup series in nine years, could secure its sixth Davis Cup final appearance Saturday when Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez play Americans Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish in doubles.

“Obviously we’re up against it, but we knew that coming here,” said U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe. “We’re going to try and win the doubles.”

Reverse singles will be played Sunday, and the winner will face either Argentina or Russia in the final.

Roddick looked on course for victory after dominating the second and third sets, but Ferrer took the fourth thanks to an early break. Roddick then volleyed a backhand into the net to lose his serve in the 13th game of the fifth, and Ferrer served out for the win.

“I played a bad game at the beginning of the fourth set and after that he definitely raised his level,” Roddick said. “Besides that game, I thought I played well in the fourth and fifth set.”

Roddick, who had a nine-match winning streak snapped, complained to the chair umpire several times about the noise in the final set.

“The crowd played a fundamental role,” Ferrer said. “In the fifth set, there was a lot of tension and it was an emotional game. It was important to have them at my side.”

Roddick dropped to 0-3 against top 10 players in Davis Cup play.

“At the end of the match a couple of guys shouted out in the middle of the game and as I told Andy, that happens,” McEnroe said. “That’s a little frustrating but to be expected in a match like that.”

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Argentina leads Russia 1-0 in Davis Cup semis

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -David Nalbandian has given Argentina a 1-0 lead over Russia in the opening match of their Davis Cup semifinal.

Nalbandian defeated Igor Andreev 7-6 (5), 6-2 and 6-4 Friday. Juan Martin del Potro plays Nikolay Davydenko in the second singles of the best-of-five format.

Argentina hasn't lost at home in 10 years, winning 12 straight series, but has never won the Davis Cup. Russia beat Argentina in the Davis Cup final in 2006.

The winner of this series will play for the title against Spain or the defending champion United States.

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Kuznetsova beats Jankovic at Pan Pacific Open

TOKYO (AP) -Svetlana Kuznetsova beat top-seeded Jelena Jankovic in the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals on Friday, ending the Serb's hopes of a swift return to the top of the world rankings.

Fifth-seeded Kuznetsova rallied from a set down for a 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 win in 2 hours, 26 minutes at Ariake Colosseum.

The Russian took a 6-5 lead in the deciding set when she broke Jankovic for the fourth time. Kuznetsova went 40-30 ahead with a smash at the net and then won the match on a drop shot that Jankovic couldn't reach.

"I knew I had to be more aggressive in the third set,'' Kuznetsova said. "If you don't take a risk, you don't drink champagne.''

It was a disappointing loss for Jankovic, who had been hoping to reclaim the No.1 ranking from Serena Williams with a tournament victory. The Serb struggled on serve with eight double faults.

"I played well in the first set and then my percentage of serves started getting lower and lower,'' Jankovic said. "I made double faults at the wrong time and lost my serve many times and that was the key.''

Jankovic lost to Serena Williams in the final of the U.S. Open.

"Coming off the U.S. Open it's hard to be at the top of your game,'' Jankovic said. "I have five tournaments left this year and still have a chance to finish at the top of the rankings and that's the most important thing to me.''

Kuznetsova will face qualifier Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia in the semifinals on Saturday.

Srebotnik upset Olympic gold medalist and third-seeded Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-4.

Russia's Nadia Petrova also advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-0 win over sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and will face compatriot Dinara Safina on Saturday.

Fourth-seeded Safina ousted Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

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