Rusedski crashes out in Milan

Rusedski: out at the penultimate stage in Milan

Greg Rusedski crashed out of the Milan ATP Indoor Tournament in straight sets on Saturday.

The Briton lost 7-6 7-6 to unseeded Frenchman Julien Boutter in the semi-final.

The tables were turned as Rusedski, usually so dominant on his serve, failed to cope with the Frenchman's own big serving.

Boutter capitalised on this powerful serve, good volley play and precise longline shots to overcome Rusedski in one hour 30 minutes.

Boutter proved stronger when it mattered in the tie-breaks, sealing the second 7-3 to move into Sunday's final.

He had been at 6-1 before wasting two match points - and then served an ace for a deserved victory.

He had also blown two set points in the first set tie-break but held on to take it 7-5.

The result is a blow to Rusedski, after he had beaten world number two Marat Safin in the quarter-finals on Friday with a magnificent performance.

In Sunday's final Boutter will take on the winner of a late semi-final between No.2 seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov and seventh-seeded Swiss Roger Federer.