Ljubicic limps off to send Santoro into match with Canadian (Roundup)

By Bill Scott Jun 18, 2009, 18:00 GMT

Eastbourne, England - Fourth-seeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro will try to end the charmed week of Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic when the pair meet Friday in the semi-finals of the Eastbourne Championships.

But quarter-final victory Thursday for the soon-to-retire Santoro, 36, came in unfortunate fashion as opponent Ivan Ljubicic fell and hurt his ankle, forced to leave the court for a 3-6, 4-2 victory to the veteran.

Dancevic worked for two and a quarter hours to keep his dream alive, winning into the third semi of his career with a defeat of Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-7 (4-7) 6-4, 7-5.

Ljubcic, a one-time number three now standing 30th, slid badly on the grass in the second set, injuring his left ankle. Santoro immediately ran around the court to apply ice to his fallen opponent, but Ljubic had to be helped off, his chances for Wimbledon starting Monday now hanging on a fast recovery.

The Dancevic contest was marked by 31 aces between the pair of players.

'It was a very difficult match and I just had to hang in there,' said the number 126 Canadian.

'He had a couple of near misses at the end and I'm just happy to take the victory.

'Last time I played Fabrice I lost 7-6 in the third on grass in Newport last year, so I'm expecting another tough battle tomorrow.'

In the bottom of the draw, second seed Dimtry Tursunov defeated Denis Istromin of Uzbekistan 7-6 (10-8), while eighth seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez stopped Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

On the women's side Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki reached the semis to set up a repeat of a final she won four months ago.

The 18-year-old Wozniacki, the highest seed remaining in the field at sixth, dispatched Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-2.

Wozniacki will face off in a re-match of the Ponte Vedra Beach final which she won in Florida as Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak hammered Russian Vera Dushevina 6-1, 6-0 in their quarter-final.

'I love coming back on grass every year,I fell like I'm adapting really fast,' said Wozniacki, who allows herself a special treat at the seaside resort: 'If I win let myself eat an ice cream.'

France's Virginie Razzano defeated eighth-seeded holder Agnieszwa Radwanska of Poland 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 while 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli advanced over Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-1, 6-4.

Razzano will next play Bartoli.

'I know everything about her,' said Razzano. 'She is a special girl. I need to be careful about everything because she can do everything.'