Paris, Oct Nov 01: Romania's Andrei Pavel recovered from a loss in the first set to upset No. 5 Rainer Schuettler 2-6 6-3 6-2 and secure a spot in the Paris Masters semifinals today. Sprinting around the court to scoop up saves and dictating much of the match, Pavel's strong showing came after a full day's rest. The Romanian advanced to the quarters with a walkover yesterday when Guillermo Coria withdrew from their third-round match with a fever. Schuettler, an Australian open finalist with back-to-back tournaments in Lyon and Tokyo earlier this month, was visibly rattled - biting his nails between points, slamming his racket after easy misses and converting only two of 12 break opportunities.

The win-Pavel's fourth over Schuettler in as many career meetings - ushers the Romanian into his first Paris semifinal after 11 tries.


Pavel, who was sidelined for six months this season with a back injury, faces the winner of a quarterfinal between no. 14 Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic and Morocco's Hicham Arazi. Bureau Report