Top seeded American John Isner was sent crashing out of the ATP and WTA Memphis Open after losing to Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in a quarterfinal match Friday. Isner, who hammered 48 aces in his first two matches in Memphis, fired 11 aces against Melzer in the 81 minute match at the $1.1 million indoor hardcourt tournament at The Racquet Club of Memphis. Besides Melzer, hard-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, Czech Radek Stepanek and Benjamin Becker of Germany also reached the semis Friday. In the tie break, Melzer had a double fault to hand Isner a set point, but the Austrian battled back to win the final three points of the set. Isner, who is ranked 13th in the world, also had two double faults and won just 67 percent of his first-serve points. Melzer won 80 percent of his first-serve points, had seven aces and saved both of his break point chances. Third seeded Stepanek also cruised into the semis surviving a first-set tie break then dominating the second set to beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (7-5), 6-0. Stepanek will face Melzer in the semis. Fourth seed Raonic put on an impressive serving display, hammering 26 aces en route to a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) win over Belgium's Olivier Rochus. He will next meet Becker who defeated Poland's Lukasz Kubot 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) in a night session quarter-final match. Raonic lost to American veteran Andy Roddick in last year's Memphis final and is coming off his second win of 2012 in San Jose last week. On the women's side of the draw, fourth seeded Marina Erakovic of New Zealand and Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson will meet in the final after winning their semi-final matches on Friday. Erakovic outlasted Russia's Vera Dushevina 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 and Arvidsson eased past Alberta Brianti, of Italy, 6-3, 7-5. Errani in semifinals In Monterry, Mexico, Sara Errani breezed into the semifinals of the Monterrey Open with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Luxembourg's Mandy Minella Friday. The second-seeded Italian progressed to a semifinal against Hungary's Timea Babos. Babos beat Austria's Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-4, 6-2. Another Hungarian, Greta Arn, also moved into the semifinals with a 6-1, 7-6 (6) win over Russia's Nina Bratchikova. Arn will next face Romanian Alexandra Cadantu, who thrashed Spain's Lourdes Dominguez-Lino 6-2, 6-0. Ferrer-Almegro semis In Buenos Aires, top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain easily defeated Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-2, 6-4 Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Copa Claro clay-court tournament. Ferrer's semifinal opponent Saturday will be David Nalbandian, who defeated fellow Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-0, 6-3. Ferrer broke Gonzalez in the ninth game of the second set, and then served out to win the match. The loss eliminated Gonzalez, who has only one more tournament to play before he retires. Defending champion and second-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain also reached the final four with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Igor Andreev of Russia. Almagro will next meet No. 6 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, who defeated No. 4 Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-4, 6-2.
