The 26th-ranked Martinez Sanchez controlled the play with her big first serve, hitting seven aces to Safarova's zero.
Rome: Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain maintained her concentration during a brief rain delay to beat Czech opponent Lucie Safarova 7-6 (6), 6-4 on Thursday and reach the Italian Open semifinals.
A brief downpour interrupted play for 15 minutes just after the start of the first-set tiebreaker.
The 26th-ranked Martinez Sanchez controlled the play with her big first serve, hitting seven aces to Safarova's zero.
In the semifinals, Martinez Sanchez will face either former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic or Nadia Petrova, who were playing later.
In the other half of the draw, top-ranked Serena Williams was to play Maria Kirilenko of Russia and sister Venus Williams was up against two-time Rome champion Jelena Jankovic.
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