NEWPORT (RHODE ISLAND), July 11: India's Leander Paes will take on Laurence Tieleman of Belgium in the semi-final of the Hall of Fame tennis championships. In the quarter-finals on Friday, the Indian Davis Cupper beat Rainier Schuttler of Germany 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to advance to the semi-final round of this tournament for the third straight year. He had lost to the eventual champion both times.Jason Stoltenberg, trying to become the first top seed to win the title, moved a stepped closer by thrashing seventh-seeded John van Lottum 6-1, 6-2 in a quarter-final match.
Stoltenberg, a 28-year-old Australian, ousted the only other seed remaining in the tournament by playing near flawless tennis.
In another quarter-final, Neville Godwin of South Africa overcame a match point in the second set tie-breaker to defeat Justin Gimbelstob 6-7, 7-6, 6-3. Gimbelstob was suffering from a cramp in his leg, which bothered him more and more as the match went on. He needed a medical timeout when he was down 3-4 in the thirdset.
Tieleman, whose 15 career ATP victories have come on grass, knocked out Mark Knowles 6-4, 7-5, rallying from a 1-4 deficit in the first set.
Men's singles (quarter-finals): Jason Stoltenberg (Australia) bt John van Lottum (Netherlands) 6-1, 6-1; Neville Godwin (South Africa) bt Justin Gimbelstob (United States) 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-3; Leander Paes (India) bt Rainer Schuttler (Germany) 7-4 (7-4),6-2; Lawrence Tieleman (Belgium) bt Mark Knowles (Bahamas) 6-4,7-5.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
