Source: CCTV.com
05-08-2009 10:27
Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova beat two-year reigning champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the quarter-finals on Thursday. She will next face Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the semis.
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| Svetlana Kuznetsova, of Russia, returns the ball to Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia, during their quarter final match at the Italian Rome Masters tennis tournament in Rome, Thursday, May 7, 2009.Kuznetsova won 6-1, 7-6(3).(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) |
Jankovic had defeated Kuznetsova in 2007 for the first of her two Rome titles. But this time, the Serbian could find no answer to the Russian's forehands in the first set. Jankovic fared better in the second set and twice came back from breaks of serve, but the seventh seed kept her nerve to seal the win in the tiebreak with a great backhand winner. Final score 6-1, 7-6.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2009 Italy Open Semi- finalist, said, "Well, they always talk about me as a favourite. For many years, but I don't want to think about it. There's been too much thinking and talking, and stuff. You know, I'll just do my thing and play march-by-match and see how far I can get here, after Madrid. Then, I have one week off and....it's still too long to go to Roland Garros."
