KITZBUEHEL, Austria(AP) Mikhail Youzhny of Russia beat second-seeded Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 6-4 Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Austrian Open.
The seventh-seeded Youzhny, who reached the final of the BMW Open in Munich this month, dominated the match with solid ground strokes to keep the Austrian away from the net.
Youzhny lost his opening service game, but faced no more break points afterward.
The 48th-ranked Russian will play either No. 3 Victor Hanescu or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the semifinals.
Also, Julien Benneteau of France reached his first semifinal of the season by beating Daniel Koellerer of Austria 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-0. Benneteau missed two match points at 5-4 in the second set, but converted his third chance in the decider when Koellerer hit a backhand long.
Benneteau next plays Juan Ignacio Chelo or Oscar Hernandez.