TOKYO -- Top-seeded Rainer Schuettler of Germany beat unseeded Scott Draper of Australia 6-3, 6-3 Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Japan Open.

Schuettler and Saulnier will be joined in the final four by No. 3 seed Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, who will face second-seeded Sebastien Grosjean of France.

Srichaphan beat seventh-seeded Lee Hyung-taik 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 to advance, and Grosjean scored a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over eighth-seeded Jan-Michael Gambill of the United States.

In women's quarterfinals, No. 5 seed Russian Maria Sharapova beat Luxembourg's Claudine Schaul 7-5, 7-6 (1) to advance along with China's Zheng Jie, who beat countrywoman Yan Zi 7-6 (3), 6-3.

Fifth-seeded Australian Mark Philippoussis, meanwhile, was forced out of his match against Cyril Saulnier because of a stiff neck.