Tennis

Peng Shuai powers into Beijing semi-finals

(AFP)
Updated: 2006-09-22 20:08

BEIJING - Peng Shuai gave the host nation a place in the semi-finals of the China Open with a fighting 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory over Japan's Ai Sugiyama.

The 60th-ranked Peng, who began her season 1-6, survived an error-filled contest which lasted two hours, 41 minutes.

China's Peng Shuai blows kisses to the crowd after winning her quarter-final match against Japan's Ai Sugiyama at China Open in Beijing September 22, 2006. [Reuters]

Between them, the women offered up a massive 33 break-point opportunities, with Sugiyama losing her serve six times while Peng was broken on five occasions.

The Chinese player thrilled home fans at the Beijing tennis centre as she concluded with a break to advance into a Saturday showdown against the winner of compatriot Na Li and Russian second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Peng improved to a perfect 3-0 in 2006 quarter-finals.

In the day's highest-profile quarter-final, top seed Amelie Mauresmo will hope to put 11 straight defeats to Lindsay Davenport aside when the pair meet for the 16th time.

Mauresmo is playing for the first time in China this week while Davenport appears to have put plans for retirement aside yet again as her form lifts towards the season's end.

Serbian sixth seed Jelena Jankovic upset Russian third seed Nadia Petrova to move into the final four 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Petrova, who won four titles as she produced a run of form this spring, was sidelined by a right pectoral strain over the summer which hindered her subsequent performances.

The Russian began the year by reaching the quarter-finals in 10 of her first 11 events.

Jankovic has been another turnaround story this season, winning only one for 11 at the start of the year but reaching a final in Los Angeles as well as the US Open semis, where she lost to Belgian star Justine Henin-Hardenne.