Ferrer, Kohlschreiber in Auckland final

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Top seeds David Ferrer and Philipp Kohlschreiber each won in straight sets Friday in the semifinal round of the Heineken Open tennis tournament in New Zealand.

Ferrer, the world No. 5 and seeded first in Auckland where he is the two-time defending champion, raced past Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-2 in 49 minutes while the second-seeded Kohlschreiber defeated fourth-seeded Sam Querrey in a relatively brisk 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).

Ferrer is 18-15 in ATP title matches but is 7-1 in finals since winning at Auckland last January. Kohlschreiber has won four of his previous seven championship appearances. Ferrer is 6-3, with a four-match winning streak, against Kohlschreiber in their careers.

Ferrer lost only seven points in eight games serving Friday. That, plus winning 54 percent of the points off Monfils' serve, allowed him to take more than two-thirds of the points in the match. He had a pair of breaks in each set.

Kohlschreiber finished his win against Querrey in 71 minutes, quick for a match with 123 points. Kohlschreiber lost only five points on serve and won the only break point in the first set in taking the lead. Each player had a break in the second set but Kohlschreiber pulled away in the tiebreaker,

Ferrer and Kohlschreiber will be playing Saturday for the Heineken Open first-place check of $78,250 with the second-place check worth $41,200. Friday's semifinals losers each won $22,320.