HOUSTON, Texas, 19 April 2004 — Top seed Andy Roddick encountered little resistance from Luis Horna Saturday, advancing to the final of the US Men’s Clay Court championship with a straight set win over the Peruvian.
The 21-year-old American defeated Horna 6-3, 6-4 to advance to a final showdown with resurgent German Tommy Haas.
Roddick improved to 18-1 all time in this event. He won back-to-back titles here in 2001-02 and was runner-up to Andre Agassi last year. Haas, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, reached his first final since the Rome Masters in 2002 with a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 win over fifth-seeded Romanian Andrei Pavel.
Safin to Face Chela
in Lisbon Final
In Lisbon, Russia’s Marat Safin was handed a place in the final of the Estoril Open when his opponent Irakli Labadze of Georgia was forced to pull out with a back injury on Saturday.
Safin, the eighth seed, will take on Juan Ignacio Chela after the Argentine fifth seed made short work of German qualifier Florian Mayer, winning their semifinal 6-3, 6-3.
In the final of the women’s event, Emilie Loit of France will face the Czech Republic’s Iveta Benesova after both earned comfortable wins over unseeded opposition.
Loit, the third seed, eased past inconsistent Spaniard Marta Marrero to win 6-4, 6-4 in 91 minutes in the first match on center court.
Benesova, seeded sixth, ensured there would be no all-French final when she overcame Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-3, 7-5 in 99 minutes out on the smaller “centralito” court.
Ferrero Crashes Out in Valencia
French Open champion and top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero was knocked out of the 395,750-euro Valencia ATP clay court tournament on Saturday by fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
Verdasco won their semifinal clash 6-2, 6-1.
Both men had to play their quarterfinals earlier in the day after Friday’s rain, with Verdasco putting out Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3 while Ferrero beat Croatia’s Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-4.
In final, left-hander Verdasco takes on another unseeded player, Albert Montanes, who scored a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 semifinal win over sixth seed Alberto Martin.
Venus, Martinez Set Charleston Final
In Charleston, South Carolina, Venus Williams defeated Croatia’s Jelena Kostanic 6-4, 6-1 Saturday to reach a final date with Spain’s Conchita Martinez at the $1.3 million WTA Family Circle Cup.
Martinez fired three aces and 16 winners to defeat Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-3 and will try to deny Williams her first title in 14 months.
