Sam Querrey advances to Pilot Pen semifinals with victory over top-seed Nikolay Davydenko

Querrey upsets Davydenko at Pilot Pen

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — American Sam Querrey hit 15 aces to upset top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 Thursday and reach the semifinals of the Pilot Pen.

Querrey trailed 15-40 at 4-all in the third set. From there, he finished off Davydenko by taking eight straight points, including two aces for a 5-4 lead before breaking him at love.

“I just took a couple deep breaths and just really focused on my first serve and fortunately hit two big first serves in there,” he said. “You see that a lot when you save break points, that next game a lot of times you see guys go ahead and convert the break, that’s kind of what happened.”

Querrey, who will head into the U.S. Open as the second highest-ranked American man, opened the match with two aces, won eight consecutive points and was up 3-0 early. His serve reached 135 mph, but he also mixed things up, going wide and times and at others spinning serves into Davydenko’s body. He won 81 percent of his first-serve points.

“I have no chance because (of his) first serve,” Davydenko said.

The Russian needed a trainer to look at his right wrist midway through the match. He said it became sore from the force of Querrey’s serves hitting his racket.

Second-seed Fernando Verdasco had no problems in his quarterfinal, ousting Jurgen Melzer in straight sets 6-3, 6-1.

He will play Igor Andreev in the semifinals. Andreev beat Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3, to reach the semifinals for the first time after four quarterfinal appearances in New Haven.

“I had a very good chance to finish the match with two match points in the second set, and I was serving for the match and I couldn’t close it,” he said. “Then after all this, you just try not to think too much what happened and keep going. I’m happy that I won third set.”

Defending women’s champion Caroline Wozniacki had a much easier time, beating Virginie Razzano in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.

Wozniacki seemed to have a harder time with a bee, which chased her around the court during the fourth game of the second set.

“It just kept attacking me,” she said. “I was trying to, you know, hit it with the racket, but still it didn’t give up,” she said. “It kind of felt like, you know, my opponent didn’t want it to give up in the match; the bee didn’t want to give up either.”

Wozniacki will play Flavia Pennetta in Friday’s semifinals. Pennetta beat qualifier Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-2.

Pennetta said she’s happy with her play in New Haven, but is not concerned about winning this tournament.

“I just look to be prepared for the Open,” she said. “This is my first important thing for me is to just get there and be prepared for a fight.”

Elena Vesnina earned the first spot in the women’s semifinals, beating Anna Chakvetadze 6-1, 7-5. It was Vesnina’s first win against Chakvetadze in six attempts.

“She’s not playing like she was playing a few years ago,” Vesnina said. “If you will compare, she’s a bit down right now.”

Chakvetadze had problems with her service game, missing on 50 percent of her first serves.

Vesnina will play the winner of Thursday evening’s match between top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo.

(This version CORRECTS ADDS Verdasco match, Pennetta quote. corrects that Davydenko had wrist examined by trainer sted doctor. Will be UPDATED.)