Zeballos upsets top-seeded Gonzalez

HOUSTON (AP) -Sixth-seeded Horacio Zeballos of Argentina beat top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-4, 6-4 on Friday night to advance to the semifinals in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships.

Zeballos, the 2009 ATP newcomer of the year, broke Gonzalez in the first game of the second set, but had to struggle to hold his serve later in the final set to beat Gonzalez, ranked 11th in the world. Zeballos is ranked 54th.

Gonzalez forced one break point in the sixth game before Zaballos held. In the eighth game, Zaballos escaped three break points aided by three aces.

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Zeballos sent Gonzalez diving for a drop shot that left the Argentine flat on his stomach in the next to last point of the eighth game. After changing shirts, Gonzalez returned to hit a backhand behind the baseline to end the game.

Zeballos won it with an ace on the first match point in the 10th game.

Zeballos will face fellow Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela in the semifinals. Chela beat injury-slowed defending champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia 6-4, 6-3.

"Zeballos played a good match and I didn't play my best tennis," Gonzalez said.

Hewitt, fourth seeded, played in his first tournament since undergoing surgery on his right hip Jan. 29. He made one charge after falling behind 5-0 in the second set, breaking the Argentine in the sixth and eighth games. Chela, ranked 84th in the world, ended the brief rally by breaking back in the ninth game.

Third-seeded Sam Querry of the United States also advanced, overcoming a balky serve to beat Chile's Nicolas Massu 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Querry will face American Wayne Odesnik, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Belgium's Xavier Malisse.

Odesnik has been a controversial figure during the tournament. He pleaded guilty on March 26 to taking human growth hormones into Australia. He has denied using HGH and is continuing to play while his case is being investigated by the ATP.

"I would refuse to lose to that guy," Querry said.

Odesnik, who has declined comment on his case, replied: "We'll see what happens tomorrow."

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