Puerta, Davydenko advance to semis

PARIS -- Shouts of bravo mingled with expressions of surprise as unseeded Mariano Puerta, an Argentine back from a nine-month drug suspension, and Nikolay Davydenko, a Russian on the rise, set up an unlikely French Open semifinal.

In a pair of five-set marathons Wednesday, Puerta and Davydenko emerged the winners who will face each other Friday for a spot in the final against the winner of the more celebrated semifinal between No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 4 Rafael Nadal.

Puerta outlasted No. 9 Guillermo Canas, 6-2, 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a 3-hour, 35-minute match. The 12th-seeded Davydenko gave himself a birthday present the day before he turns 24 by edging No. 15 Tommy Robredo 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in 3 hours, 18 minutes.

Puerta was playing only his third tour event since returning from a suspension for testing positive for clenbuterol, a long-banned drug with anabolic properties that can build muscles and trim fat. An investigative panel determined that a doctor prescribed the drug to Puerta to treat an acute asthma attack.