Simon, Dolgopolov make Brisbane semifinals

High seeds Gilles Simon and Alexandr Dolgopolov claimed spots in the semifinals of the Brisbane International tennis tournament with wins Thursday. Simon, the No. 2 seed, defeated Santiago Giraldo 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 by saving six of the seven break points he saw in the second set. The win allowed Simon to avenge a loss to Giraldo last year in Brisbane, which is the only other time they've met in an ATP event. Dolgopolov, seeded third, was on the court two hours, 16 minutes before getting past sixth-seeded Radek Stepanek 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Dolgopolov went ahead with a break in the fifth game of the third set only to have Stepanek break back. But Dolgopolov ran off the next three games -- two on breaks -- to advance. Simon and Dolgopolov, who met once previously with Simon winning in straight sets, are paired against each other in Saturday's semifinals. No. 1-seeded Andy Murray plays Marcos Baghdatis and eighth-seeded Bernard Tomic meets Denis Istomin in quarterfinal matches Friday.