Lisa Raymond upset top-seeded Nathalie Tauziat 6-4, 6-2 today to reach the final of the DFS Classic women’s grass-court tourmament in Edgbaston, Birimingham. Lisa Raymond upset top-seeded Nathalie Tauziat 6-4, 6-2 today to reach the final of the DFS Classic women’s grass-court tourmament in Edgbaston, Birimingham.
The American came into the match with a career 0-7 record against the French player, ranked No 7 in the world, but dominated the match to win in 63 minutes.”It feels like a monkey off my back and it’s definitely one of the high points of my career,” the sixth-seeded Raymond said. “I couldn’t have asked to play better.”The final will pit Raymond against Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn, who downed Zimbabwe’s Cara Black 7-6 (0), 6-1 in the other semi-final.Tanasugarn, the No 16 seed, reached her second final in eight days. She lost to Britain’s Louise Latimer last weekend at the Surbiton tournament in London.Tanasugarn has twice reached the third round at Wimbledon and will be a dangerous floater in the draw next week. She took control of the match in the tiebreak, reeling off seven straight points.Tauziat, playing for the 14th year in Birmingham, was winner here in 1997 and runner-up last year.

But she struggled in the breezy conditions and never got untrack against Raymond’s serve-and-volley tactics.With the score 4-4 in the first set, Tauziat double faulted twice in a row to lose serve, and Raymond served out the set at love in the next game. Raymond broke in the third game of the second set and breezed the rest of the way.. Italy’s Gianluca Pozzi is a rarity in modern tennis. He does his best not to bruise the ball, treating it with the respectful touch of a craftsman

Italy’s Gianluca Pozzi is a rarity in modern tennis. He does his best not to bruise the ball, treating it with the respectful touch of a craftsman.
The left-hander from Bari will mark his 35th birthday today by making his first appearance in the semi-finals of the Stella Artois Championships here. He played with a wooden racket until was 18, and has enjoyed a career which has been solid rather than spectacular.

“I wish, like everybody, I guess, that I could take what I have learned in mycareer and be young again.”Were Pozzi able to shed 15 years, he would be the same age as Russia’s Marat Safin. The 20-year-old from Moscow, whose mighty groundstrokes were honed on the clay court of Spain, was a perfect foil for the Italian yesterday; although, to correct the imagery, Safin was the giant wielding his racket like a broadsword.Safin’s raw talent makes him a bigger name already than Pozzi has ever been, but the youngster has much to learn, about grass-court tennis in particular, but also about curbing his temper.Subtlety triumphed over power, 7-5, 7-6, and the Centre Court spectators, many of whom have witnessed a more leisurely tennis age, enjoyed every moment of the hour and three- quarters of the match. They were even prepared to make allowances for Safin’s indiscretions (he threw his racket along the ground, bounced it, and received a warning for belting a ball out of the court in anger).”But his behaviour has improved,” said Pozzi, who was beaten by Safin twice on concrete courts last year. “He lost his temper a couple of times today, but he never lost his concentration, and stayed in the match.”Safin, who took advantage of Greg Rusedski’s wayward serve to eliminate the British No 2 in the third round on Thursday, seemed in the mood to make short work of Pozzi. The Russian led 4-1 after 15 minutes – even though Pozzi had broken him in the opening game.For much of that time, the Italian was preoccupied with watching his step, having been prone to foot-faulting. He protested his innocence, but became so careful in placing his feet in subsequent service games that he seemed in danger of tripping himself.Safin, who is still getting used to the texture of grass, was also foot-faulted on one occasion, adding to his overall suspicion of a surface whose low bounces can be a nightmare for baseline shot-makers.Tony Pickard, from Nottingham, Stefan Edberg’s mentor, is helping Safin adjust to the grass courts.

“Tony told me not to wait too long for the bounce,” Safin said. “It bounces – hit it!”Pozzi gradually took control of the set after being 2-5 down, saving three set points from 0-40 in the eighth game. He then broke for 4-5 with a smart forehand service return and converted his fifth break point at 5-5 after Safin double-faulted on a game point and then netted a backhand. The Italian served the set out after 49 minutes.The second set went with serve, although Safin saved two break points in the opening game and one in the 11th and Pozzi saved two in the fourth game. Safin tossed his racket after missing a backhand at 1-1 in the tie-break and belted the ball out of the stadium after losing his serve for 1-3. Pozzi won the shoot out, 7-4, after Safin missed a forehand.As Pete Sampras remarked: “It’s nice to see an older guy – well, the oldest guy – still out there.”Pozzi will play Lleyton Hewitt, the 19-year-old Australian ground-stroker, seeded No 6, who beat Cedric Pioline, the French former Wimbledon finalist and fourth seed, 6-4, 6-4.Sampras continued to build his confidence for Wimbledon, defeating his compatriot Bob Bryan (the qualifier who eliminated Tim Henman in the British No 1’s opening match) 6-4, 6-4, after 61 minutes. The six-times Wimbledon champion will play either Andrei Pavel, of Romania, the No 12 seed, or the unseeded Italian Davide Sanguinetti.”I served well, returned well, passed well and moved well,” Sampras said.