Baghdatis handles Belgian in rematch

   There was little drama this time.
   Second-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus outclassed unseeded Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium 6-3, 6-4 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos.
   It was the eighth straight victory for Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up to Roger Federer. Baghdatis edged Bemelmans 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) last week in the semifinals of the $100,000 Vancouver Challenger en route to the title.
   Baghdatis will face fourth-seeded Go Soeda of Japan in a matchup of 29-year-old, 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) veterans.
   Soeda, the Aptos runner-up in 2006, dispatched eighth-seeded Marton Fucsovics, the 2010 Wimbledon boys champion from Hungary, 6-2, 6-3.
   Baghdatis, ranked No. 106 after reaching a career-high No. 8 in 2006, is 2-0 against Soeda, ranked No. 117. In their last meeting, Baghdatis won 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of last year's U.S. Open.
   In the other semifinal, top-seeded Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan will play unseeded Rhyne Williams of Boca Raton, Fla., for the first time.
   Kukushkin, ranked No. 55, topped fifth-seeded Somdev Devvarman of India 7-5, 4-6, 6-2. Devvarman, an Aptos semifinalist in 2009 and 2010, had needed 3 hours, 2 minutes to subdue Ze Zhang of China on Thursday.
   Williams, ranked No. 245, took out Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. 

$100,000 COMERICA BANK CHALLENGER

At Seascape Sports Club in Aptos

Singles quarterfinals

   Go Soeda (4), Japan, def. Marton Fucsovics (8), Hungary, 6-2, 6-3.
   Rhyne Williams, United States, def. Juan Ignacio Londero, Argentina, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
   Mikhail Kukushkin (1), Kazakhstan, def. Somdev Devvarman (5), India, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
   Marcos Baghdatis (2), Cyprus, def. Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium, 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Purav Raja and Sanam Singh (4), India, def. Andrea Collarini, Argentina, and Cesar Ramirez, Mexico, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

   Austin Krajicek, United States, and John-Patrick Smith (1), Australia, vs. Purav Raja and Sanam Singh (4), India.
   Mikhail Kukushkin (1), Kazakhstan, vs. Rhyne Williams, United States.
   Marcos Baghdatis (2), Cyprus, vs. Go Soeda (4), Japan.
   Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak (3), New Zealand, vs. Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium, and Laurynas Grigelis, Lithuania.