Top-seeded Gonzalez and Baghdatis bow out

Las Vegas, Nevada; Bangalore: Top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez and No 3 Marcos Baghdatis became the latest seeds to tumble out of the ATP hardcourt tournament in Las Vegas on Thursday.

Chile's Gonzalez, playing in his first tournament since suffering an abdominal injury that sidelined him for almost a month, fell 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to Russia's Evgeny Korolev in the second round.

"It was a great match for me," Korolev said. "I was feeling really great. The conditions today, everything was perfect. I found my touch, I found my game."

Gonzalez, who won his most recent event at Vina del Mar last month, couldn't get past Korolev, who recorded the final four points of the tie-breaker after wasting several match points earlier on.

Third-seeded Cypriot Baghdatis also fell, losing 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 to American Robby Ginepri. Korolev next will face South African qualifier Kevin Anderson, who outlasted American wild card John Isner 7-6 (7/2), 7-5. Anderson did not face a break point in the match against Isner.

First meeting

Meanwhile, the Williams sisters will face each other in the semifinals of the Bangalore Open today, their first meeting since the 2005 US Open.

World number seven Venus was back on form as she beat Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 6-3 in 90 minutes in the quarterfinals yesterday and third seed Serena demolished unseeded Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-4.

Fourth seed Patty Schnyder was the first player to reach the last four, wearing down big-serving Uzbek Akgul Amanmuradova to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.

Americans Venus and Serena, who have 14 Grand Slam titles between them, are tied at seven-all in their head-to-head meetings.

"[It] would have been nice if we'd met in the final," Venus told a news conference.

Venus, 27, showed considerable improvement from her inconsistent display in the second round against Chinese Peng Shuai when she committed 15 double faults.