TENNIS ROUNDUP : Sampras Gains Lyon Semifinals

Pete Sampras and Cedric Pioline, finalists at the U.S. Open, advanced to the semifinals of the Lyon Open Friday in Lyon, France, with straight-set victories.

Sampras, the two-time defending champion, defeated Stephane Simian, 6-4, 7-5, and Pioline defeated Martin Damm, 7-5, 6-2.

In other quarterfinals, Richard Fromberg defeated qualifier Lionel Barthez, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), and Jakob Hlasek of Switzerland outlasted Arnaud Boetsch, 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 7-5. The semifinal matchups are Sampras against Hlasek and Pioline against Fromberg.

Sampras defeated Pioline to win the U.S. Open. Pioline has never won a tournament.

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Greg Rusedski blasted 21 aces to defeat Magnus Gustafsson and reach the semifinals of the Salem Open in Beijing. In other quarterfinals, Brad Gilbert defeated Jonas Svensson, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Michael Chang defeated Christian Bergstrom, 7-6 (8-6), 6-5, and Tommy Ho defeated Chuck Adams of Pacific Palisades, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7).

Ho and Chang with play an all Chinese-American semifinal in China’s first ATP tournament.

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Zina Garrison-Jackson battled for nearly three hours before defeating Ines Gorrochategui, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the Budapest Open in Hungary. Judith Wiesner squandered four match points and lost to Sabine Appelmans, 6-2, 1-6, 7-5, in another quarterfinal.

Julie Halard, who defeated Nanne Dahlman of Finland, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, will play Garrison-Jackson in the semifinals. Katarina Studenikova, who defeated Laurence Courtois, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, will play Appelmans.