Soderling in Brisbane semis, Bartoli loses
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SYDNEY (Reuters) - Robin Soderling's smooth buildup to this month's Australian Open continued with a business-like 6-3 6-2 victory over local qualifier Matt Ebden in their Brisbane International quarter-final on Friday.
The Swedish world number five broke his 196th-ranked opponent once in the first set and twice in the second before sealing the 71-minute match with an ace.
"I've been serving really well all week. I haven't been broken yet and today especially I managed to serve really well when it really matters," said twice French Open finalist Soderling, who has not dropped a set in the tournament.
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"I still know that I can play better. I've played three pretty solid matches so it feels good coming into tomorrow's semi-final."
Soderling will meet last year's finalist and 2009 champion Radek Stepanek in the semi-finals, after the Czech 32-year-old upset seventh-seeded German Florian Mayer 6-3 6-3.
"I've played against Radek many times and we've always had tough matches so I have to stay focused on this one," Soderling added.
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Defending champion Andy Roddick will contest the other semi-final in a big-serving shootout with towering South African Kevin Anderson.
In the women's semi-final, Germany's Andrea Petkovic stunned former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli of France 6-4 6-2 in 77 minutes.
Trailing 4-1 in the first set, Petkovic won five games on the trot and did not take her foot off the pedal in the second set either.
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She meets Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final after the Russian beat Petra Kvitova 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the second semi-final.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne and Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by John O'Brien and John Mehaffey)