Davenport reaches semis at Memphis tennis

MEMPHIS—Lindsay Davenport, playing on home soil for the first time since 2006 US Open, breezed past Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-0, 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the ATP/WTA Memphis tournament. The American needed just 53 minutes to dispatch Wozniacki on Thursday and reach the semi-finals where she will face a teenage qualifier, Marina Erakovic.
A former world No. 1 and owner of 54 career titles, Davenport had the edge in experience on the 17-year-old Wozniacki, who has yet to appear in an WTA final.
Davenport converted five-of-seven break points and never faced a break point on her serve in the hardcourt event. “I’m playing pretty well this week and I like playing indoors,” Davenport said. “Hopefully I can keep it going two more matches and play here Saturday night (in the final). I felt like I was in control most of the points.”
The 31-year-old improved to 10-2 this season and is looking to reach her second final of the season. She won at Auckland in January. To get to the finals, Davenport will have to get past Erakovic, who rallied to defeat Alla Kudryavtseva 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Erakovic is in a WTA Tour semi-final for the second time. The 19-year-old from New Zealand broke in the sixth game of the final set and held on for the victory. A finalist here last year, third-seeded Shahar Peer stayed on course for another final with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over seventh seed Sofia Arvidsson, the champion here in 2006.
Peer saved four break points serving for the match at 5-3 and won her 200th career match (200-87). “It was a really, really tough match and I was able to pull it out at 5-3,” Peer said. “I kept fighting and fighting to the end. We both played very good in the third set.”
Next up for the Israeli is fifth seed Olga Govortsova, who claimed a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 triumph against German wild card Julia Goerges. On the men’s side, Thursday’s feature match saw top seed and 2002 champion Andy Roddick knock off American compatriot Mardy Fish, 6-4, 6-2.
The top-ranked American and the world No. 6, Roddick is now 23-6 at this event since making his debut here in 2001. No. 5 Sam Querrey and sixth seed Thomas Johansson were eliminated Thursday while No. 8 Rod Soderling advanced.
Jonas Bjorkman, playing in his first ATP tournament of the season, outlasted Querrey, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) to advance to the quarter-finals. The 35-year-old Swede survived 26 aces by the 20-year-old American. “I felt good the whole match and he hit a lot of bombs,” Bjorkman said. “It would be nice to borrow his serve for a week. You have to be on your toes a lot. I have to try to be aggressive and not let him dictate the point.”
Big-serving Aussie Chris Guccione fired 15 aces and never lost a point on his first serve en route to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Johansson. Fans got a chance to get a look at young American Donald Young who registered a 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Colombian Alejandro Falla. Young will face Bjorkman in the quarter-finals.—Agencies