| HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -- Top-ranked Venus Williams rallied from a three-game deficit in the second set, beating Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 Friday to set up a semifinal match against Martina Hingis in the Betty Barclay Cup.
Trailing 4-1 in the second set, Williams called in a trainer to get a new bandage on her inflamed ankle and went on to win 11 of the next 12 games.
Williams and Sanchez-Vicario have won a total of five Hamburg titles. Williams won the clay-court event in 1999 and 2001. Sanchez-Vicario won in 1993, '94 and '96.
The third-seeded Hingis easily moved into the semifinals, beating sixth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 7-5, 6-4.
Hantuchova squandered a set point in the first set, and Hingis played with patience, waiting for her opponent's mistakes.
Williams, who has won eight of 18 matches against Hingis, is looking for her fifth title of the year.
Second-seeded Kim Clijsters advanced to the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Barbara Schett, and fifth-seeded Jelena Dokic defeated fourth-seeded Justine Henin 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3). |
