i thought SEs were offered to the same level of event....or can you go down the way..ie atp250 to challenger?
I'm fairly sure you can go down the way, which is entirely logical.
If you can get a special exempt for being tied up in the late stages of a similar event, you are to me even more worthy of a SE if you are tied up with a higher tournament.
Match Starts at 2:00 PM (7.00 PM BST) Mardy FISH (USA)vs Richard BLOOMFIELD (GBR)
Mardy Fish will compete in his fourth straight semi-final, facing off against British qualifier Richard Bloomfield for the first time.
Both players are appearing in their first Newport semi-final. Bloomfield is the second qualifier in tournament history (since 1977) to advance to the semis here.