STUTTGART, Germany, 18 July 2004 — French Open champion Gaston Gaudio will face fellow Argentine Guillermo Canas in the final of the Mercedes Cup today after a three set victory over Spaniard David Ferrer yesterday.

The second-seeded Gaudio moved into his third consecutive final on the men’s tour after defeating No. 11 seed Ferrer 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in a match he seemed poised to win easily before he spurned four match points in the second set when leading 5-2. Gaudio led 5-1 in the final set but Ferrer again battled back to 5-4, only to drop his serve with a forehand error after two-and-a-half hours play.

Earlier, unseeded Canas fought back to beat 15th seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Favorites Upset in LA Quarterfinals

In New York, top seed Andre Agassi and third seed Mardy Fish were upset by lower-ranked opponents in the quarterfinals of the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles on Friday.

Agassi, who won the tournament in 1998, 2000 and 2001 and also claimed his 800th career victory earlier in the week, was upset by Germany’s Tommy Haas 7-6, 6-7 6-3 in the final match of the day.

Fish, who had struggled in earlier matches, was beaten by France’s Cyril Saulnier 7-6, 7-6.

Jeff Morrison made his first ATP tour semifinal this year with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over South Africa’s Wesley Moodie. He is the only American to reach the last four. Britain’s Greg Rusedski, the Hall of Fame winner last week in Newport, had his winning streak snapped at seven with a 6-1, 6-4 defeat to Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer.

Williams, Davenport Advance

to Semis at Stanford Tennis

Second seed American Lindsay Davenport outlasted compatriot and lucky loser Mashona Washington 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, to reach the semi-finals of the $585,000 WTA Stanford event on Friday.

On Thursday night, Davenport crushed Russian Lioudmila Skavronskaia 6-1, 6-1.

Davenport got the key break in the third set in just the second game, which went to deuce four times before Washington double-faulted on break point.

Davenport awaits No. 8 Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela, who eliminated fourth seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy, 6-4, 6-1.

Top seed Venus Williams of the US had a much easier time in her quarterfinal than Davenport, defeating Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi of Israel, 6-0, 6-3. American Amy Frazier, the sixth seed, was the first to reach the semifinals, dispatching third seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), earlier Friday.

Home Hope Verkerk to Meet Gonzalez in Amersfoort Final

Home hope Martin Verkerk ousted defending champion and top seed Nicolas Massu to advance to the finals of the $465,000 ATP event yesterday.

Verkerk, 25, came away 6-3, 6-7 (4 7), 6-3 winner to set up a meeting with another Chilean, second seed Fernando Gonzalez, who ended the crowd’s hopes of a dream all-Dutch final by defeating Dennis van Scheppingen 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

Marcelo Rios Calls Time on Tennis Career

In Santiago, former world tennis No. 1 Marcelo Rios of Chile has retired at the age of 28 due to a recurrent back problem.

“With great sadness, I confess that the time has come for me to leave tennis, my passion since childhood,” said Rios, named the best Chilean sportsman of the century.

Rios hit No. 1 in the ATP rankings for six weeks in 1998, becoming the first South American to do so. He won 18 singles titles and one doubles during his career.

“I don’t know what I’ll do in the future. For the moment, I want to rest, recuperate well, accept the idea of no longer being able to play and then think quietly about what I’ll do,” Rios said.