PARIS (Reuters) - Modest claycourt specialist Gaston Gaudio eased into the French Open semi-finals on Wednesday but claimed to be no more than an underdog among the Argentine "Galacticos."

The only unseeded player left in the quarter-finals destroyed former world number one Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to join fellow Argentines Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian in the last four.

Despite the achievement, Gaudio, ranked 44th in the world, insisted he was still a long way behind his two compatriots.

"They are the geniuses. They're the Galacticos and I am Valencia," he said in a comparison with the Spanish soccer Liga. Galacticos was the nickname given to star-studded Real Madrid squad this season.

"I think they have a special talent. They're incredible. They're in the top 10. I would be happy if they won the tournament," he said.

But if Gaudio took the comparison to its logical conclusion, he could well win the tournament since Valencia ended up Spanish champions while Real Madrid faltered. Gaudio did not rule out the possibility.

"To win the tournament would be like a dream. When I was a kid, I was dreaming about it. Now I'm in the semi-finals, but I have to wait. It's going to be tough," he said.

Gaudio now meets Nalbandian, the player he admires most on the circuit.

HIDING AMBITIONS

"Nalbandian can play well anywhere. (Swiss world number one Roger) Federer is also a genius but I like David more, really," the 25-year-old said. But Gaudio might well be hiding his real ambitions behind his modesty.

Gaudio, who won two tournaments in 2002 in Barcelona and Mallorca, was the brightest hope of Argentine tennis before Coria and Nalbandian came along. While Coria and Nalbandian received financial support from their tennis association, Gaudio and other Argentine players were left to fend for themselves.

"Sometimes there was no money to travel or we had to cancel a tour. Sometimes you had to stay in Europe for an extra month to wait for the next tournament.

"They (Nalbandian and Coria) received support and of course that was very important for them.

"Well I'm not going to judge that. We each followed a different path," he said. But his semi-final on Friday would be a way to claim his share back.

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