Top seeds Verdasco and Chakvetadze reach semi-finals

Simon Cambers

NEW HAVEN (Reuters) - Top seeds Fernando Verdasco and Anna Chakvetadze reached the semi-finals at the New Haven Open on Thursday, while Slovenian Luka Gregorc continued his giant-killing run to join them.

Spaniard Verdasco, who said he had produced his best performance of the week, eased past German left-hander Mischa Zverev 6-2 7-6 to set up a clash with American Mardy Fish.

"The first set, I think I played so good," Verdasco told reporters. "Second set at 1-0 I made some double-faults, maybe I lost a little bit of confidence and gave him some confidence.

"But I think I played really good the whole match and I am happy with how I feel and how I'm playing."

The performance of the day, though, came from Gregorc, who ousted Italian seventh seed Andreas Seppi 4-6 6-4 7-5.

Few people had heard of the world number 434 at the start of the week, but the 24-year-old qualifier followed up his win over second seed Ivo Karlovic by ending Seppi's title hopes.

Gregorc, who will play either Russian fourth seed Igor Andreev or sixth seed Marin Cilic of Croatia in the semi-finals, said he was not totally surprised by his performance.

"You know, it's hard to say 'surprised' because this is what you work for your whole career," Gregorc said.

"No, I'm not surprised actually. I've been working hard and I've been playing well lately. This is kind of a little payback for all the hard work."

Eighth seed Fish booked his place in the last four with a 6-3 7-6 win over compatriot Jesse Levine, a lucky loser.

MISLEADING SCORELINE

Chakvetadze said the scoreline in her 6-3 6-3 victory over Sorana Cirstea of Romania was slightly misleading.

"It was really, really tough, deuce all the time, a lot of break points," the Russian said.

"It was tough conditions, it was too hot. In the beginning of the second set, I felt a little dizzy. But then I fought till the end."

Chakvetadze will play the winner of Thursday's late match between former world number one Amelie Mauresmo and Hungarian Agnes Szavay, the runner-up in New Haven last year.

Second seed Daniela Hantuchova and number three Marion Bartoli were both sent packing by 18-year-olds, who will now play each other in the semi-finals.

Hantuchova, who had saved three match points in the previous round, was beaten 3-6 6-4 6-4 by the ever-improving Alize Cornet of France, who overcame a thigh injury to advance.

Former Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli went down 6-4 6-0 to Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.

(Editing by Rex Gowar)