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Final four Pierce leads march to Sparkassen semis
Posted: Friday November 05, 1999 04:07 PM
LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) -- Top-seeded Mary Pierce of France, seeking her second consecutive title on the WTA Tour, defeated former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez of Spain 6-2, 6-2 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Sparkassen Cup. Pierce will be looking to reach her fifth final of the year when she plays qualifier Kveta Hrdlickova in the semifinals Saturday. By winning the Austrian Open last week, the sixth-ranked Pierce ended a 12th-month drought without a title. She crushed Martinez with her powerful ground strokes, winning 6-2, 6-2. Hrdlicova, a Czech ranked No. 67 in the world, beat wild card Sabine Appelmans, a Belgian who is No. 38, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5). Second-seeded Nathalie Tauziat became the second French player to reach the last four of the $520,000 event when she outlasted fifth-seeded Anna Kournikova of Russia 7-6 (7-4), 7-5. Tauziat, who won the Moscow tournament two weeks ago, was a finalist in Leipzig last year, losing to the now retired Steffi Graf.
In the semifinals, Tauziat will play Germany's Anke Huber, No. 8 seed, who beat another French player, Anne-Gaelle Sidot, 6-4, 6-4.
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