MOSCOW, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Yevgeny Kafelnikov moved a step closer to making tennis history Friday with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over French qualifier Cyril Saulnier in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup.
The second-seeded Russian is trying to become the first men's player to win a tournament six years in a row in the Open Era (since 1968). He is 38-6 lifetime at this event, going unbeaten since falling to Goran Ivanisevic in the 1996 final.
"Of course, I know I can make history by winning a tournament for a sixth consecutive time because until now nobody else has been able to do that," said the 28-year-old from Sochi, who is strongly considering retirement at the end of the year.
"But nobody is going to give me this victory just for the sake of making history. I have to earn it myself. That's why I don't want to look too far ahead. Actually for me the tournament starts now, in the semifinals."
Kafelnikov rallied from 2-5 in the second set to advance to a meeting with No. 7 Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands.
"I just lost concentration in the middle of the second set but after he went 5-2 up, I knew I had to get my game together again because I didn't want this match to go into the third set," Kafelnikov said. "Tomorrow against Schalken is going to be the toughest test."
A first-time Grand Slam semifinalist last month at the U.S. Open, Schalken held off Nicolas Escude, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, defeating the Frenchman for the first time in four encounters.
Top seed Marat Safin battled past fifth-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland, 7-5, 6-4. The Moscow native also collected his first victory over his foe after losing the first three meetings.
Safin, who narrowly holds third in the ATP Champions Race, had strong early results but still seeks his first title of the year. He reached the final at the Australian Open and the semifinals at the French Open.
On Saturday, the 2000 U.S. Open champion will take on French qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu, who topped Germany's Rainer Schuettler, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, to advance to his first career semifinal.
Women's second seed Lindsay Davenport turned back Moscow's Elena Bovina, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, to keep her semifinal streak alive.
Since returning to action in July after knee surgery, Davenport has reached at least the semifinal at all six tournaments she has played. She has defeated Bovina three times in that span, including in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.
The 26-year-old American, who is seeking her first title of the year, next faces Amanda Coetzer. The diminutive South African routed Russia's Nadia Petrova, 6-2, 6-1, but is 3-11 lifetime against Davenport.
The only other seeded player alive in the women's draw is No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo of France, who eliminated Maja Matevzic of Slovakia, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. A semifinalist at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, Mauresmo is looking for her third title of the year.
The 23-year-old from France will bring a 3-0 head-to-head mark into her semifinal against two-time former champion Magdalena Maleeva, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over France's Nathalie Dechy.
Maleeva, who ousted top seed Venus Williams in the second round Thursday, won this title in 1994 and 1995.
