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The 2005 Acura Classic semifinals match-ups are set.
Beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, unseeded Shuai Peng of China
meets sixth-seeded Mary Pierce of France in the first semifinal
of the day. It’s been quite an Acura Classic debut for Peng
who has won four straight matches this week at the La Costa Resort
and Spa. In her thrilling, 6-4, 6-4, semifinal victory over Kim
Clijsters of Belgium, she played a near flawless match as she snapped
the Belgian’s 26 match win streak on US hard courts.
Pierce played a solid match in her
6-4, 6-3 win over Patty Schnyder of Switzerland. In their only head-to-head
meeting, Pierce scored a straight-set victory over Peng on clay
in Rome earlier this year.
At 6:30 p.m. on Stadium Court the second semifinal will feature
an All-Japanese meeting as Ai Sugiyama plays her Fed Cup teammate
Akiko Morigami for a spot in Sunday’s final. Morigami is looking
forward to her semifinal match against Sugiyama after having lost
to her in both of their pervious head-to-head meetings.
“I’m very excited to play against Ai because she’s
been the number one player (in Japan) the last couple of years,”
Morigami said. “She’s obviously a great player. I have
a lot of confidence in myself and I’m sure she does to.”
Following the Sugiyama / Morigami singles semifinal, Cara Black
of Zimbabwe and Australia’s Rennae Stubbs will play a doubles
semifinal against Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Sugiyama after
suitable rest for Sugiyama.
Click
here for more match summaries.
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