Kuznetsova, Clijsters Into Semis at WTA Eastbourne

Rain disrupted play Thursday at the WTA stop in Eastbourne but not before the two favorites for the title, No. 2 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova (d. (8) Dechy) and No. 7 Kim Clijsters (d. (LL) Washington) slid into the semifinals on the grasscourts.

"I'm feeling more and more comfortable on the grass," Clijsters said. "I've been practicing here for a while, so it's been nice to have some matches to play."

Also into the semifinals was Russian qualifier Vera Douchevina, who received a free pass when Marion Bartoli retired trailing 0-5 with a foot injury.

Italian qualifier Roberta Vinci was threatening to make it two qualifiers into the semis, leading No. 4 seed Anastasia Myskina 6-4, 0-1 when the match was suspended for the day.

On tap for Friday in Eastbourne is Myskina vs. Vinci (to finish), Clijsters vs. Kuznetsova, and Douchevina vs. Myskina or Vinci.

"We know each other really well, and have good practice sessions together," said Clijsters on Kuznetsova. "But as I always say, I'm going to play the ball and not the opponent. For the moment, I'm thinking about my next match, not about winning the tournament yet."