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Schuettler showdown with Grosjean
TOKYO, Japan -- German Rainer Schuettler extended his run of form at the $860,000 Japan Open, booking his spot in the men's final against Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean in a battle of the top seeds. In women's action, fifth-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova made it to her first WTA singles climax, where she will meet unseeded Aniko Kapros of Hungary, another first-time finalist. Schuettler, currently ranked eighth in the world, scored a methodical 6-3 6-2 win over unseeded Frenchman Cyril Saulnier who advanced to the semis when Australian Mark Philippoussis retired with a sore neck during their quarterfinal. Grosjean came from a set down to get past Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan, seeded third, 4-6 6-3 6-4. The No. 1-seeded Schuettler, one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour with seven semifinal appearances in 2003, will be trying to win his first title of the year. He lost the Australian Open final in straight sets to Andre Agassi in January. "I'll just go out on the court and try to win it," said Schuettler, a 27-year-old who possesses a steady all-around game, as he looked ahead to the final. "If I lose the final (on Sunday), it will still be great week. If I win, it's a perfect week." Paradorn, Asia's top-ranked player at No. 11 in the world, closed out the first set against Grosjean with an ace, but the mobile Frenchman then picked his game up a notch and came to the net more over the next two sets. Grosjean expects a good battle with Schuettler with both players trying to qualify for the lucrative season-ending Masters Cup in Houston, which features the top eight players in the world rankings. "Rainer doesn't miss very often, he's a good fighter," Grosjean, the current world No. 10, said. "I'll come more to the net, but it's going to be a close match. I'll try to play more aggressive" In the women's semis, 16-year-old Russian Sharapova scored a 6-3 7-5 win over unseeded Zheng Jie of China, while Kapros breezed past Spain's Arantxa Parra 6-1 6-2. Sharapova fell behind 0-3 in the first set against Zheng before buckling down and winning the next six games. The teen now has a chance to do something on Sunday that has thus far eluded her fellow Russian, Anna Kournikova: win a WTA tournament singles title.
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