Eltingh and Woodbridge through to semifinals
Eltingh and Woodbridge through to semifinals
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Second seed Jacco Eltingh took only
59 minutes to beat Malaysian Adam Malik 6-3, 6-2 and reach the
semifinals of the US$400,000 Malaysian Open men's tournament
yesterday.
The Dutchman served and volleyed with confidence against the
Malaysian champion to set up a semifinal clash with Australia's
Todd Woodbridge, who won his quarter-final against India's
Leander Paes 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
"I had some problems with my first serve in earlier matches
but it is improving. If I keep improving I have a good chance of
winning the title," Eltingh said after the match.
Malik was outclassed. "Eltingh served very well and was
playing at a different level," he said.
Woodbridge took one hour 31 minutes to beat Paes, who was
nursing a sore arm.
Andrei Olhovskiy of Russia and Alexander Mronz of Germany will
contest the other semifinal following respective victories over
Italy's Gianluca Pozzi and Japan's Shuzo Matsuoka.
In Basel, Switzerland, Davis Cup heroes Stefan Edberg and
Yevgeny Kafelnikov crashed out of the S$800,000 Swiss Indoor
event here on Thursday.
Four days after leading their countries into the Davis Cup
final both players went down in three sets in second-round
matches.
Sweden's second-seeded Edberg was beaten by experienced French
left-hander Guy Forget 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, while third-seeded
Kafelnikov of Russia went down 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 6-7 (4-7) to
another French player Lionel Roux.
Edberg and Kafelnikov were not the only seeded players to fail
to reach the quarter-finals.
Sixth-seeded Peruvian Jaime Yzaga lost to American Patrick
McEnroe and eighth-seeded Cedric Pioline of France went out to
Jared Palmer of the United States in straight-sets.
Top seed Michael Stich, who failed to win a match against the
Russians in last weekend's Davis Cup semi-final in Germany,
comfortably defeated Jonas Svensson of Sweden 6-3, 6-4.
In Leipzig, Germany, top seed Mary Pierce of France coasted
into the semifinals of the $400,000 Leipzig women's Grand Prix
tennis tournament with a straight-sets victory over Brenda
Schultz of the Netherlands.
Pierce managed to neutralize the seventh seed's strong serve
with her own powerful groundstrokes and won 6-3, 6-2.