Anderson, Benneteau into Sydney semis

Updated January 10, 2013 16:29:37

Tall timber Kevin Anderson will be looking to cut down a few big names at next week's Australian Open after the unseeded South African continued his run of good form to reach the Sydney International semi-finals.

The 2.03m Anderson, who is only shaded by the likes John Isner and Ivo Karlovic as the tallest man on the ATP tour, proved too strong for Denis Istomin in their quarter-final on Thursday, downing the Uzbek 6-4, 6-3.

He will meet Julien Benneteau in a semi-final on Friday after the Frenchman eased to a 6-4, 6-2 win over American qualifier Ryan Harrison.

Anderson has enjoyed a strong start to the year, winning two from three of his singles matches at the Hopman Cup, the only loss at the hands of world number eight Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in two tiebreaker sets.

The Hopman Cup proved something of a mixed blessing for Anderson, who chose to play in Perth ahead of the ATP tournament in Brisbane.

Good results in Brisbane could have seen the world number 36 move into the top 32 available players for the Australian Open, earning a seeding at Melbourne Park in the process.

"It was pretty tricky," Anderson said of deciding where to start his year.

"As things turned out I wasn't too far off from being seeded at the Australian. So I think that was biggest downside from not playing.

"But I chose to play (the Hopman Cup) before I knew that (possibility)."

With a booming serve and capable volley, Anderson looms as a player the seeds will be looking to avoid in the early rounds at Melbourne.

Benneteau, a journeyman who has spent 13 years on tour and is without a singles title from seven finals, was also impressive.

A losing finalist in Sydney last year to Finn Jarkko Nieminen, Benneteau discovered on Thursday morning he would be the beneficiary of Isner's injury-enforced withdrawal from the Australian Open, the 35th-ranked Frenchman elevated to the 32nd and last seeding.

"For sure it's better (to be seeded) but it doesn't mean that you are going to win some matches at the Australian Open," Benneteau said.

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted January 10, 2013 16:29:37

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Nieminen to play Benneteau in Sydney final

Updated January 13, 2012 19:50:57

Journeymen Jarkko Nieminen and Julien Benneteau earned themselves a rare ATP title shot at the Sydney International after beating higher ranked semi-final opponents on Friday.

Finland's Nieminen, 30, needed a marathon 26-point tie-breaker before prevailing over Uzbekistan's 67th-ranked Denis Istomin 7-6 (14-12), 6-3 in an hour and 44 minutes to reach his 12th career ATP final on Saturday.

French world number 49 Benneteau required six match points and had to win through a see-sawing 14-minute final game before seeing off Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 6-4 in almost two hours.

Left-hander Nieminen, ranked 77, has only won one title - in Auckland six years ago - and was a beaten Sydney finalist in 2009 against David Nalbandian.

He is bidding to become the first qualifier to win the tournament since South Korea's Lee Hyung-Taik claimed the title nine years ago.

"I really enjoyed that moment being in the finals again now a second time here," Nieminen said.

"It's just great that I start the year like this. I struggled in the beginning of the last year, and this is a real great confidence boost for me."

Benneteau, 30, a semi-finalist here two years ago, will be playing in his sixth final and has yet to win a title.

The Frenchman, who improved his record against Baghdatis to 4-2, has yet to drop a set this week after wins over Andreas Seppi, fourth seed Feliciano Lopez and Alex Bogomolov Jr.

"I've never beat him (Nieminen) on the tour. Each time it was very tough matches, very tight, three sets, long matches," Benneteau said.

"He's a good player. He has some confidence because he's won a lot matches this week. But also he can be a little bit tired.

"Now it depends on me, how I can manage to find a way to win the first title of my career."

Former Sydney winner Baghdatis was disappointed with his performance a few days ahead of the Australian Open, where he was a beaten finalist against Roger Federer six years ago.

"I was a bit tight again. I wasn't so aggressive. I tried but my shots were not heavy enough," 43rd-ranked Baghdatis said.

"He played very smart, very aggressive, and was serving very well. I had my chances. I didn't take them, he did. Basically, that's it."

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted January 13, 2012 19:36:16

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