Williams was pleased to get past the world number one for just the second time in 10 career meetings, though their one hour 15 minute baseline slugfest was no work of art by either player, as the two Californians posted 52 unforced errors against 32 winners.

Chladkova in final

KNOKKE, Belgium: Czech Denisa Chladkova advanced to the final of the Sanex Trophy on Saturday, beating second-seeded Silvija Taleja of Croatia 6-2 6-2. Chladkova will face fourth-seeded Maria AntoniaSanchez-Lorenzo of Spain in the final.

Sanchez-Lorenzo beat sixth-seeded Barbara Rittner of Germany 6-3, 6-4.

Kafelnikov tames Agassi

MONTREAL: Yevgeny Kafelnikov triumphed over Andre Agassi yesterday in a battle of one-time number ones, routing the American in 63 minutes to reach the final of the $2.45m Du Maurier Open. The third-seeded Russian, who won the Australian Open in January and held the world number one ranking for six weeks earlier this year, routed second-seeded Agassi 6-1 6-4.

Kafelnikov, who could jump as many as two places from his current number four in the world, will face Sweden's Thomas Johansson in the final. He has won four of his seven match against Johnasson, who rallied from a one-set deficit overcame weary ninth seed Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 4-6 6-1 6-3.

Safin ousted

AMSTERDAM: Sixth seeded Moroccan Younes Elaynaoui reached the final of the $475,000 Dutch Open men's clay court tennis tournament when he beat eighth seeded Marat Safin of Russia 6-1 6-4.

Theother semi-final was stopped because of bad light with Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador and Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina 1-1 in sets at 6-3 5-7.