Russians Safin and Korolev reach Las Vegas semi-finals

LAS VEGAS, Mar 3 (Reuters) Third seed Marat Safin stormed into the Las Vegas Open semi-finals with a confident 6-1 6-4 victory over fifth seed Fernando Verdasco.

The Russian former world number one won made just 12 unforced errors to set up a meeting with either Australian second seed Lleyton Hewitt or Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

Having needed a third-set tiebreak to beat his compatriot Igor Kunitsyn in the previous round, Safin was on much better form as he overpowered Spain's Verdasco from the start.

The world number 24 won the first five games and one break in the opening game of the second set proved enough to send him into his first semi-final of the year.

''The most important thing was to make a good start and put the pressure on him,'' Safin told reporters.

''I was able do that and then it was a bit easier.'' Another Russian, Evgeny Korolev, made the most of his reinstatement as he beat American Sam Querrey 6-4 6-4 to reach his first ever ATP Tour semi-final.

The 19-year-old, a cousin of former Russian women's number one Anna Kournikova, saved two break points in the 10th game to serve out for the first set.

After squandering a 2-0 lead in the second, he broke again in the ninth game and held his nerve to reach the last four, where he will play either Austrian fourth seed Juergen Melzer or unseeded Czech Jan Hernych.

Korolev was reinstated in the tournament after the ATP reversed its earlier U-turn, which had given American top seed James Blake a place in the last eight.

''I think I had to win today,'' he joked. ''Otherwise maybe they would have thought they had made the wrong decision.'' Korolev could meet Safin in Sunday's final.

''I would love that,'' he said. ''Marat is a great guy and a great player.'' Reuters DH VP0608