Three-time French Open tennis champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil has reached the semifinals of the Lyon Grand Prix with a dramatic three-set win over top-seed Marat Safin of Russia.
Kuerten overcame a second set loss to beat the Russian, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6. The Brazilian player sealed the win when Safin double-faulted on match point. In the semifinals, Kuerten takes on Frenchman Arnaud Clement, a straight-set winner over countryman Sebastien Grosjean (6-3, 7-6).
Earlier, Denmark's Kristian Pless scored an upset win over French Davis Cup player and local hero Nicolas Escude of France in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. In the semifinals Pless will take on another Frenchman, Paul-Henri Mathieu, a straight-set winner over Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman, 7-5, 6-4.
For Escude, the loss was a setback in his quest to secure a place on France's Davis Cup team. The French take on Russia in next month's Davis Cup final.
At the C.A. Trophy tennis tournament in Vienna, Austria, fourth-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain has reached the semifinals with a three-set win over American Davis Cup player James Blake.
Moya overcame a second set loss to beat the American, 7-6, 3-6, 6-1. He will face sixth-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland, a straight-set winner over Bohdan Ulirach of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-3.
Another Czech player, fifth-seed Jiri Novak, scored a straight-set win over Austria Juergen Melzer in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. He takes on Romania's Andrei Pavel, a straight-set winner over Russian Nikolay Davydenko, 6-3, 7-6.
French tennis player Amelie Mauresmo has advanced to her eighth semifinal of the year when she beat Russian Tatiana Panova at the Porsche Grand Prix tournament in Filderstadt, Germany.
Mauresmo, the world's fourth-ranked player, took just over an hour and a quarter to beat Panova in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. She takes on ninth-ranked Kim Clijsters of Belgium, who beat defending champion Lindsay Davenport of the United States in three sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-4).
Meanwhile, Elena Dementieva of Russia reach the semi-finals with a win over Switzerland's Myriam Casanova 6-2, 6-3. She takes on Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova, who scored a straight-set win over American Alexandra Stevenson.
The tournament had seven of the world's top-10 players in it, but top-seed Jennifer Capriati, third-seed Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia and fourth-seed Justine Henin of Belgium have been ousted.