Dubai, February 24:

Maria Sharapova beat Martina Hingis in straight sets to make it to the semi-finals of the rain-hit Dubai Tennis Championships.

The third-seeded Russian won 6-3, 6-4 in a match delayed a day by heavy rain.

Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo lost 7-6 (11), 6-4 to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia. Fourth-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne beat fifth-seeded Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (5), while second-seeded Lindsay Davenport beat Maria Kirilenko 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the other quarter-final.

Sharapova will play Davenport in the semi-finals, while Henin-Hardenne takes on Kuznetsova.

RMK C’ships

MEMPHIS: Defending champion Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark was eliminated by Robin Soderling of Sweden 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the second round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. French qualifier Julien Benneteau ousted eighth-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium 7-6 (4), 6-4 and will meet Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals.

In women’s play, sixth-seeded Marta Domachowska of Poland topped fourth-seeded Laura Granville of the US 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals against another American, Jill Craybas. No 7 Amy Frazier overcame Shenay Perry 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in another all-American match.

ABN Amro

ROTTERDAM: Belgium’s Olivier Rochus joined his brother Christophe in the quarter-finals of the ABN Amro by ousting third-seeded David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4. Also, Tim Henman was eliminated by Serb Novak Djokovic 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, and sixth-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek dispatched Fabrice Santoro of France 6-4, 6-1.

Djokovic and Stepanek will meet in the quarter-finals. Rochus will meet Jarkko Nieminen after the Finn defeated qualifier Gilles Simon of France 7-6 (1), 6-1.

An all-Rochus semi-final was on the cards if Christophe passed British lucky loser Arvind Parmar. Italian Daniele Bracciali fired 19 aces past Spanish lucky loser Alex Calatrava to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) for his first ATP quarter-finals since June.