TENNIS/QATAR OPEN: Andy Murray knocked out number one seed Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 6-2 in the semi-final of the Qatar Open to set up a meeting with Ivan Ljubicic in the final in Doha.

The number four seed, who had been knocked out of the doubles competition when he and his brother Jamie were beaten by Mikhael Youzhny and Nenad Zimonjic at the same stage, beat an under-par Davydenko to give him a chance to win a first tournament of 2007.

Second seed Ljubicic battled his way into the final of the $1-million event by outlasting the Swede Robin Soderling 3-6 6-4 7-6.

CHENNAI OPEN: Spain's world number two Rafael Nadal and the third-seeded Belgian Xavier Malisse set up a semi-final clash in the Chennai Open in India with contrasting third-round victories.

Top-seed Nadal dismantled the 106th-ranked Italian, Davide Sanguinetti, 6-3 6-2, while Malisse (26) was stretched to a third set by the sixth-seeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro before winning 6-4 4-6 6-0.

The former world number one Carlos Moya of Spain will meet the Austrian Stefan Koubek in the other semi-final.

AUSTRALIA:Martina Hingis and Dinara Safina booked their places in the Australian hardcourt championships final on the Gold Coast.

The former world number one Hingis benefited from the retirement of Italy's Tathiana Garbin 34 minutes into their semi-final, while Safina came back from a set and 5-2 down before shocking Israel's Shahar Peer to advance 4-6 7-6 6-1.

Garbin (29) made a positive start against Hingis, leading 4-3 in the opener when the breathing difficulties she had been experiencing became too much.

She called for the trainer and after treatment decided the respiratory problem was too severe to allow her to continue, handing victory to the Swiss world number seven.

HOPMAN CUP: Russia secured their first Hopman Cup title after a clinical victory over Spain in the final in Perth, Australia.

The world number six, Nadia Petrova, gave the top seeds the momentum with a 6-0 6-4 demolition of Anabel Medina Garrigues, before Dmitry Tursunov sealed the tie with a 6-4 7-5 victory over the world number seven, Tommy Robredo.

For Tursunov it was a second team success in just over a month after his part in Russia's victory over Argentina in the Davis Cup final in Moscow.