Lindsay Davenport outlasted the rain and Samantha Stosur to move within one victory of defending her Pilot Pen Tennis title in New Haven.
The seventh seed, Davenport defeated Stosur 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (9-7) on a wet Friday at the $1.275million co-ed event.
The 30-year-old Californian, who has missed much of the season with back problems and a concussion, was slated to begin her match with Stosur, a lucky loser form Australia, around noon EDT, but rain pushed back the start for more than three-and-a-half hours.
After dispatching Stosur in two hours, seven minutes, Davenport was able to scout number two Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium, who posted a 6-3 6-3 triumph over fifth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second semi-final of the $600,000 Tier II women's event.
The two-time reigning French Open champion who is playing her first event since Wimbledon because of a knee injury, Henin-Hardenne outclassed Italian lucky loser Mara Santangelo in the quarter-finals 6-2 6-3.
Kuznetsova reached the semi-finals by defeating third-seeded countrywoman Elena Dementieva, 6-3 3-6 6-2. Kuznetsova also beat Dementieva to win the 2004 US Open title.
In the semi-finals of the $675,000 men's event, No 10 Agustin Calleri of Argentina scored a victory over No 13 Xavier Malisse after the Belgian retired with a right elbow injury.
Malisse dropped the first set, 6-2, before pulling out of the match. Calleri will face No 2 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, who dispatched 15th-seeded Swede Robin Soderling, 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 to set up Saturday's final.
