| TOKYO (Ticker) -- Top seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland
breezed into the semifinals of the $1.08 million Pan Pacific Open today
with a 6-0, 6-2 rout against fifth seed Anna Kournikova of Russia.
Hingis, the defending champion, needed just 47 minutes to win her quarterfinal
match. She had her serve broken to open the second set but broke back the
next game and took five of the next six games for the victory.
Hingis improved to 7-1 all-time against Kournikova and will face No.
7 seed Chanda Rubin of the United States in the semifinals. Rubin topped
Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 6-4, 6-4, as she broke serve in the ninth
game and held in the tenth in each set.
Sixth seed Sandrine Testud of France survived a tiebreaker and upset
No. 3 seed and countrywoman Nathalie Tauziat, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0. Testud has
only dropped one set in the tournament over three matches.
In a battle of unseeded players, Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia advanced
to the semifinals with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 triumph over Lilia Osterloh of
the United States. Osterloh had advanced to the quarterfinals with an upset
of No. 2 seed Mary Pierce.
First prize at this indoor event is $166,000.
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