Stockholm - Tomaz Bellucci of Brazil reached his second semi-final in three months Friday with a huge serving performance to defeat Swede Joachim Johansson 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 at the Stockholm Open. Bellucci, 21, the August winner in Gstaad on clay, rained down 18 aces, but had to deal with 13 off the racket of Johansson, the number 511 whose interrupted career has been a drama of shoulder injuries and long periods of inactivity.
The Swede, 27, was playing only his fifth ATP match of the season and fourth Stockholm quarter-final. Bellucci's serve was never broken while Johansson saved four of the five break points he faced.
Bellucci will next face Belgian Oliver Rochus, who put out recovering Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.
Nieminen has had little luck since coming back the week before the US Open after wrist surgery.
With his ranking down to 120th, he has one more week of grace on the ATP, taking to the court next week in Vienna before being forced to go onto the lower-level Challenger circuit to pick up ranking points.
Home hopes now rest with top seed and two-time finalist Robin Soderling, fighting for a place in the ATP year-end final.
The French Open finalist against Roger Federer will play his quarter-final later against Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez with the winner to face either Frenchman Arnaud Clement or Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
Soderling has been on a tear all week as he tries to improve upon his provisional ninth spot for the eight-man World Tour Finals in London from November 22.
Two places remain after Andy Roddick clinched the number six this week. Heading Soderling, winner of the Swedish outdoor title last summer in Bastad, are Russian Nikolay Davydenko and Spain's Fernando Verdasco.
