Rafter and Philippoussis rekindled friendship to go on hold

Sportstoday

By Darren Walton

SYDNEY, Oct 7 AAP - Patrick Rafter's rekindled friendship with Mark Philippoussis will go on hold tonight when the Australian tennis stars clash in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open.

Rafter advanced to the last four of the $US375,000 ($A701,590) tournament with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 upset of Brazilian top seed Gustavo Kuerten, while fourth-seeded Philippoussis beat Spaniard Sergi Bruguera 6-2 6-3 in his quarter-final overnight.

Rafter has won all three previous encounters with Philippoussis but the pair haven't met since the 26-year-old Queenslander defeated his younger opponent in four sets in the 1998 US Open final.

The two insisted at the Olympics they had made up after their much-publicised falling out following Philippoussis' controversial late withdrawal from Australia's Davis Cup semi-final against Brazil in July.

Rafter, the seventh seed, will be hoping it's third time lucky in Hong Kong after finishing runner-up in 1994 and 1997.

It may well be if his quarter-final form holds up.

The Wimbledon finalist needed just one service break in the ninth game of the second set to beat the Brazilian, the two-time French Open champion and current ATP Champions' Race leader.

"I have lost twice in the finals here and it would be nice to reverse that trend," said Rafter.

The other semi-final pits second-seeded Briton Tim Henman against German Nicolas Kiefer, the tournament's third seed.

Henman overcame American eighth seed Michael Chang 6-4 4-6 6-4 while Kiefer defeated Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti, the fifth seed, 6-2 6-4.