Holder Venus Williams will face Israel's Shahar Peer in the semifinals of the Dubai Championships after defeating Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-4 Thursday. Peer reached the last four when China's Li Na retired with back injury when the Israeli was leading 7-5, 3-0. Due to security concerns Peer has played all her matches this week on a side court and that will remain the case for her clash with Venus, who accepted the situation. The second semifinal is between fourth seed Victoria Azarenka from Belarus and seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. Azarenka defeated 12th seed Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-3. Radwanska had much more of a challenge in ending the run of Russian qualifier Regina Kulikova 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Soderling beats Stakhovsky In France, top-seeded Robin Soderling was extended by Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine just to get out of the second round of the Open 13, winning 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 Thursday. Illya Marchenko of Ukraine and Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Guillaume Rufin joined the Swede in the last eight. The third-seeded Monfils edged Andreas Seppi of Italy 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (3) while wild-card Rufin beat Belgian qualifier Yannick Mertens 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to reach his first quarterfinals on the ATP Tour. Lucky loser Marchenko outlasted Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. Ferrer, Andreev thru In Argentina, Igor Andreev of Russia reached his second straight quarterfinals on the Latin American clay court swing at the Copa Telmex Thursday. Sixth-seeded Andreev overcame Marcel Granollers of Spain 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round, in the week after reaching the semifinals at Costa do Sauipe. On Friday, Andreev will meet top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain, who defeated Frederico Gil of Portugal 6-3, 6-0. Argentina's David Nalbandian reached the quarterfinals on Wednesday, but picked up a right-leg injury in the grueling, three-set victory over Spain's David Gimeno-Traver. Roddick beats Blake In Memphis, top-seeded Andy Roddick snapped a three-match losing streak to fellow American James Blake with a 6-3, 4-6. 7-6 (3) victory in the first round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships Wednesday night. Roddick, the defending champion, was the only one of the top four seeds in the tournament to make it out of the first round. No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco lost Tuesday night. Third-seed Radek Stepanek and Tommy Haas, the fourth seed, lost earlier Wednesday. Haas of Germany lost to Belgium's Xavier Malisse 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Stepanek to Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-6 (5), 7-5. Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey won their matches. Isner was pushed by Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4 victory, while Querrey beat fellow American Rajeev Ram 6-2, 6-3. In the Cellular South Cup, the women's draw of the tournament, top-seeded Maria Sharapova was an easy winner in her second-round match, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US 6-1, 6-1. Second-seeded Melanie Oudin of the US defeated countrywoman Lilia Osterloh 6-2, 6-1, and No. 3 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia and Petra Kvitova, the fifth seed, also won. Seventh-seeded Vania King of the US lost to qualifier Sophia Arvidsson of Sweden 3-6, 6-4, 6
