Russian Nikolay Davydenko ended Mario Ancic's hopes of qualifying for the Masters Cup when he beat the Croatian 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters on Friday.
Ancic's defeat left only two players, American James Blake and German Tommy Haas, in contention for the last remaining slot at the season-ending event in Shanghai, which starts on November 12.
Blake, knocked out of the Paris indoor event on Thursday, will make the trip to China unless Haas wins the title in the French capital.
Haas kept his dream alive by overcoming Russian Marat Safin 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.
Safin, champion here in 2000, 2002 and 2004, alternated brilliant winners and clumsy errors until handing Haas three match points by netting a backhand. The gifted but erratic Russian bowed out when he struck a forehand wide on the first.
Haas, seeded 10th, next meets Slovak Dominik Hrbaty, who ousted holder Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
"I read his game well because we know each other and that was the key today," Hrbaty said of his training partner. "I was sometimes a step ahead of him."
WORK HARD
World number five Davydenko next meets Spain's Tommy Robredo, who defeated Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.
Robredo, seeded sixth, recorded his fourth victory over Nieminen in as many meetings but was made to work hard in a match that lasted two hours 44 minutes.
Tiebreaks decided the first two sets and the decider was equally close, Nieminen saving three match points at 5-3 down.
Robredo eventually triumphed on his fourth match point when 14th seed Nieminen hit a forehand long.
The gritty Spaniard, who made sure of qualifying for the Masters Cup for the first time when he reached the quarter-finals here, said the trip to China had been on his mind.
"I was half thinking about the things I have to do for Shanghai like the tickets, the visa and all that stuff," said Robredo.
"At the same time I was thinking about the tournament and concentrating on what I had to do to make the semi-finals."
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