Houston, April 14:

James Blake outlasted Argentina’s Juan Monaco 7-5 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (0) to advance to the semi-finals of the US Men’s Clay Court Championships for the first time.

Blake has never made it past the quarters in Houston. Blake next plays unseeded Mariano Zabaleta, the Argentine who beat Jurgen Melzer, 6-1, 6-2. Ivo Karlovic beat third-seeded Tommy Haas 7-6 (7), 6-4 in another quarter-final.

The 6-foot-10 Karlovic fought off a set point in the tiebreaker when it appeared Haas had passed him at the net with a cross-court backhand. The ball clipped the top of the net, it jumped up and went wide on Croat’s side. Haas’ backhand passing shot again clipped the top of net and went out on match point to give Karlovic his third straight win over a top 10 player. Karlovic will play Albert Montanes of Spain, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Vincent Spadea.

Family Circle Cup

CHARLESTON: Venus Williams won a match of long baseline rallies, defeating tenacious Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-4, 7-5 to reach the Family Circle Cup semi-finals.

Williams, unseeded and ranked No 29, had lost only 10 games combined in her three previous matches this week. This time, she lost nine. Williams will face second-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia next. Williams was playing Medina Garrigues for the first time. She fell behind 0-3 in the second set before winning five of the next six games to climb back and avoid a third set.

Jankovic, ranked No 9, routed Slovenia’s Katrina Srebotnik, 6-2, 6-0. Jankovic beat Williams last year at Wimbledon in their last meeting. The other semi-final will be an all-Russian affair. Ninth-seeded Vera Zvonareva beat Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 6-1, 7-5. Zvonareva, ranked No 20, will face Dinara Safina. Safina advanced when Tatiana Golovin retired at the end of the first set because of an ankle injury.