SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Nicole Branagh advanced Saturday to the semifinals of the Santa Barbara Open.
May-Treanor, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and Branagh, her new playing partner, remained undefeated in the tournament despite some struggles. After sweeping two matches Friday, they went to three games in both matches Saturday.
They beat ninth-seeded Dianne DeNeccochea and Brittany Hochevar, 19-21, 21-19, 15-11, and then withstood a challenge from fifth-seeded Jenny Johnson-Jordan and Annett Davis, 16-21, 24-22, 15-9.
The top-seeded men’s team of Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers also moved into the semifinals, though they had a considerably easier path. They beat eighth-seeded Pedro Brazao and Fred Souza, 21-14, 21-13, and upended fourth-seeded Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, 21-17, 21-17.
