BEIJING, August 15, 2008 (AFP) - A blazing row overshadowed the Olympic tennis tournament on Friday as US number one James Blake accused Fernando Gonzalez of a lack of sportsmanship after their marathon semi-final.

Blake claimed the Chilean touched a ball which went out but didn't admit it to the umpire. Gonzalez, the 2004 bronze-medallist and doubles champion, won the marathon match 4-6, 7-5, 11-9.

In the women's draw, Russian sixth seed Dinara Safina won 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to hand Jelena Jankovic her first defeat as world number one.

And men's top seed Roger Federer kept his medals hope alive when he and Stanislas Wawrinka beat India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes in the doubles.

Blake, who dramaticaly knocked Federer out of the singles in the previous round, said he had lost 'a little faith' in Gonzalez over the ball-touching incident, which happened as the Chilean was serving in the decisive third set.

'Playing in the Olympics, in what's supposed to be considered a gentleman's sport, that's a time to call it on yourself. Fernando looked me square in the eye and didn't call it,' Blake said.

'That's a disappointing way to exit the tournament when you not only lose the match, but you lose a little faith in your fellow competitor,' he added.

Gonzalez denied any wrongdoing and said if he was sure he touched the ball, he would have said so.

'If I'm hundred percent sure about it, I will give it. But I'm not sure,' he said.

The Chilean came from a set down and saved three match points to win 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 after two hours and 51 minutes.

The match was just one game shy of the Olympic record 43-game encounter between Max Mirnyi and Jiri Vanek at Sydney eight years ago.

Gonzalez, 28, has not lost to Blake since 2003 but the American was riding high after his stunning defeat of Federer in the quarter-finals.

The Chilean suffered an attack of nerves when serving to stay in the first set and three mistakes with the forehand were enough to gift Blake the lead.

Gonzalez immediately hit back in a lengthy second-set opener, but his joy was short-lived when Blake broke back at the first attempt.

At 5-5 the American netted a straightforward volley to go a break down, and eventually Gonzalez -- after a break point and three deuces -- fired a forehand past the advancing American for the set.

In the decider, Gonzalez survived three break points at 2-3. Serving at 5-6 down, he rallied again to save three match points helped by a deep forehand winner and a kindly let cord, taking the encounter to sudden death.

Blake complained furiously to the umpire when he thought Gonzalez, serving at 8-9, touched the fast-moving shot to his body. In the very next game Blake blinked on the second break point, putting a reaction forehand long.

Gonzalez raced to 40-0 and three match points but wasted all of them, finally prevailing at the fifth attempt with an unreturnable serve.

Earlier Federer and Wawrinka beat Bhupathi and Paes 6-2, 6-4 in the men's doubles quarter-finals.

Venus and Serena Williams, who also crashed out of the singles, beat Japan's Ayumi Morita and Ai Sugiyama 7-5, 6-2 in the women's doubles second round. Both matches started late on Thursday but were halted because of rain.

Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko and Kateryna Bondarenko reached the women's doubles semis with a 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 win over Italians Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone.

Two days of rain disruptions forced scheduling changes with the women's singles and doubles semis now on Saturday and both finals on Sunday, along with the bronze-medal play-offs.