Dementieva upsets top seed Sharapova in LA

CARSON, California, Aug 13 (Reuters) Maria Sharapova's hopes of a second successive WTA Tour title ended when she was upset 7-5 6-2 by fellow Russian Elena Dementieva in the Los Angeles Open semi-finals.

The 19-year-old top seed, who won last week's Acura Classic in San Diego, lost the first set in just over an hour after battling back from 1-5 down.

Dementieva, in superb form from the baseline with her groundstrokes, then took advantage of a series of unforced errors by her opponent to sweep through the second set.

It was her second victory over Sharapova in seven career meetings and ended a run of eight wins in a row by the world number four.

''I feel really great,'' an elated Dementieva told reporters yesterday. ''I have lost to her twice this year and I was really looking forward to this match because she is such a tough player.

''This win really means a lot to me.

''When you play against Maria, she is a great fighter and never gives up. That makes it difficult to play against her.'' Asked whether she had been affected by the sapping heat at the Home Depot Center, Dementieva replied: ''It was tough to play but when you are on the court you are so focused you just want to win no matter what.'' Dementieva, who had previously reached the semi-finals three times in Los Angeles without progressing further, will meet twice champion Serena Williams or Serbian Jelena Jankovic in today's final.

American Williams, playing only her third event of the year because of a knee injury, was scheduled to take on 16th-seeded Jankovic in yesterday's second semi-final.

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