TENNIS ROUNDUP

updated 5:54 p.m. ET Oct. 29, 2004

Top-seeded Andre Agassi beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (4), 6-2 Friday to reach the Stockholm Open semifinals for the first time.

It’s the 34-year-old Agassi’s first final four berth at the tournament; he lost in the quarterfinals in 1989 and 1994, his previous appearance.

Verdasco began well, holding at love in each of his first four service games.

“He’s tough for anybody to play, a left-hander with a very big serve,” Agassi said. “He can hit in every direction, with spin, flat. It’s a difficult serve to read and to return.”

But Agassi finally broke Verdasco in the second game of the second set, then broke him again to end the match. Agassi set up match point with a backhand pass down the line, and Verdasco ended it by sending a backhand wide.

“In the second set I played a good game to break him, and once I was in the lead I took care of my serve,” Agassi said.

His semifinal opponent is fourth-seeded Tommy Haas, who defeated Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Safin loses his temper, and match
Marat Safin lost his temper and his quarterfinal at the St. Petersburg Open on Friday, getting surprised by seventh-seeded Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-1 after protesting a line call.

The top-seeded Safin wasted two break points at 4-4 in first set. At deuce, chair umpire Carlos Bernardos was unable to rule on a shot by Llodra and ordered the point to be replayed.

Safin started arguing, insisting that the ball was out and that it had left a mark on the court. The point was replayed, and Llodra wound up holding serve to lead 5-4.

In the second set, Safin continued to argue with Bernardos, and his level of play dropped. Llodra broke him at love in the fourth game and then held for 4-1.

Safin refused to shake hands with Bernardos after the match.

“Llodra came up with a good match and some great shots. I also know I was irritated with a few calls and probably lost my temper,” Safin said. “I am really disappointed and upset because I lost today. I came here to win the tournament.”

A win could have clinched a spot for Safin at the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Houston next month. He is in competition with Andre Agassi, Carlos Moya, Guillermo Coria, Tim Henman and David Nalbandian for the last four places at that tournament.

Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Gaston Gaudio have the other berths.

In Saturday’s St. Petersburg Open semifinals, Llodra will face Karol Beck, who eliminated Cyril Saulnier 6-3, 7-6 (3). Fourth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny plays Greg Rusedski in the other semifinal.

Youzhny beat Julien Benneteau of France, 6-0, 6-1, while Rusedski defeated Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6 (7).

Mauresmo beats Sugiyama in quarterfinals
Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo eliminated defending champion Ai Sugiyama 6-2, 6-4 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Generali Ladies Open.

Mauresmo, briefly ranked No. 1 this season, improved to 7-0 against Sugiyama.

The Frenchwoman now meets Jelena Jankovic, who beat Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 6-4.

“I am a little bit surprised to have played so well. Vera was in good form, but I played perfect tennis today,” Jankovic said.

The other semifinal will be Elena Bovina against Nadia Petrova.

Jidkova quit because of a thigh injury against Bovina while trailing 6-7 (3), 6-2, 3-0, and the fifth-seeded Petrova beat Meghann Shaughnessy 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Molik stays on course
Alicia Molik came back to beat French teen Tatiana Golovin 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the SEAT Open quarterfinals Friday, moving closer to winning her second WTA Tour title in two weeks.

In Saturday’s semifinals, Molik will play Silvia Farina Elia, a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 winner over Kveta Peschke.

On the other side of the draw, Dinara Safina defeated Dally Randriantefy of Madagascar 6-1, 6-4, and Anabel Medina Garrigues rallied past Ana Ivanovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

The 14th-ranked Molik, a bronze medalist at the Athens Olympics, upset Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova for the Swisscom Challenge title in Zurich last week.

Henman stunned at Swiss Indoors
Jiri Novak made Tim Henman’s life as miserable Friday as he did at the Olympics, toppling the second-seeded player 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors tournament.

“I just decided to play the same tactics as at the Olympics,” said unseeded Novak, who ousted Henman in the opening round in Athens the last time they met. “I was hitting pretty hard from the baseline and attacking at the net. I played solid tennis.

“I was serving well. I knew I could break him anytime.”

In the semifinals, Novak will play Stefan Koubek, who posted his third impressive victory in a row. He defeated Ivan Ljubicic 2-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Also advancing to the semifinals were seventh-seeded Nicolas Massu, who ousted Bohdan Ulihrach 6-2, 7-6 (4), and No. 4 David Nalbandian, who took sixth-seeded Rainer Schuettler 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

The victory Friday marked a stunning reversal for Novak, ousted last week in the second round of the Madrid Masters.

For Henman, the 1998 and 2001 champion here, the defeat could mean trouble securing a berth in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup next month in Houston.

Five of the eight places in that field have already been locked up with Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Carlos Moya and French Open champion Gaston Gaudio guaranteed spots.

Henman, who has been taking supplements for a magnesium deficiency that sapped him in Madrid last week, is fighting Guillermo Coria, Marat Safin, Andre Agassi and David Nalbandian for the other berths. The field will be filled after next week’s Paris Masters.

“It’s a bit premature to start thinking about how I feel heading to Paris,” said Henman, the defending champion there. “Of course it gives me confidence with the way I played there last year but with so many points at stake for everyone, you never know what’s going to happen.”

Novak and Henman traded breaks in the opening set but Henman never seemed in control. Down 6-2 in the tiebreak, he saved three consecutive set points but eventually surrendered with a flapping wide forehand. The second set was close until Novak, leading 30-40 at 6-5, was vaulted into the semis of the $1.25 million tournament when Henman sent another forehand wide.

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