06 Mar 2004 17:24 UTC
The unseeded Hanescu needed just two sets to get by Verkerk 7-5, 6-4. The two men faced each other late Friday, after both were pushed to deciding third sets earlier in the day in second-round action. Top-seed Andy Roddick came back from a first-set tiebreaker loss 7-4 to defeat unseeded fellow American Jan Michael Gambill 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 in a quarterfinal. It is the first time in three meetings that Roddick has beaten Gambill.
The Mexican Open in Acapulco has lost its number-two seed to an unseeded player. Fernando Verdasco upset Nicolas Massu of Chile in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 late Friday.
Top-seed Carlos Moya of Spain dropped his opening set to eighth-seed Filippo Volandri of Italy before rebounding to advance to Saturday's semifinals 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
The other semifinalists are seventh-seed Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina and unseeded countryman Guillermo Canas.
Chela downed unseeded Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 6-3, while Canas got by unseeded Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-2, 6-0.
On the women's side, Maria Sanchez Lorenzo is the only seeded player still standing for the semi-finals, after fourth seed Emilie Loit was upset by Ivetz Benesova 7-6, 6-1.
Third-seed Sanchez Lorenzo needed three sets, but finally came away with a 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over unseeded Julia Vakulenko.
The other semifinalists are Marta Marrero and Flavia Pennetta.
Marrero eased by Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 6-3, while Pennetta downed Nicole Vaidisova by the same score.
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Surprising Victor Hanescu of Romania has advanced to Saturday's semifinals of the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona, by upsetting second-seed Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands.
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Seventh-seed Nicolas Kiefer of Germany upset third-seeded American Robby Ginepri 6-3, 7-6 to advance to the final four, along with fourth-seed Vincent Spadea. He ousted fellow-American and sixth-seed James Blake 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.
