Hingis vs. Kuzy Showdown in Montreal Today
Posted on August 18, 2006MONTREAL, Canada -- Martina Hingis and Svetlana Kuznetsova fended off set points Thursday but both prevailed in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. The two will face each other Friday under the lights of Court Central at Uniprix Stadium.
No.7 seed Hingis trailed 5-4, 0-40 in the first set of her 75 64 win but her Slovakian opponent, No.11 Daniela Hantuchova, gave away four straight points on forehand errors. The 23-year-old hit the first forehand in the net after a long rally and then missed three consecutive returns to let Hingis back in the match. Hingis raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set before Hantuchova reeled off three straight games.
"I think it only took me like seven days to get over it," Hantuchova said of her streak of errors. "Basically after that I just stopped playing. It was not only that game but the next game, I again had two game points. So instead of being up 64, 1-0, I was down 5-6. So, it was pretty frustrating. And it just took me way too long to be able to forget it and move on. And in the second set it was too late when I started to come back again."
Hingis will face Kuznetsova for the third time this year. In their first encounter, Hingis won in straight sets at Doha. But a few months later, Kuznetsova took revenge on the hardcourts of Miami, saving a match point in a 36 61 76(9) third round battle, en route to her sixth career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title. Hingis knows she has to bring her A-game against the 2004 US Open champion.
"We've already had two great matches this year," said Hingis, who won titles here in 1999 and 2000. "I know I have to come out with the best in me."
Kuznetsova also didn't have an easy task in her 62 76(6) victory over Ai Sugiyama. Trailing 5-6 and 15-40 in the second set, she managed to come back and force a tie-break.
"It was a little bit tough," Kuznetsova said. "At the end of the second set I got a little bit tense. But then I stopped to play the bad tennis, I had to. In the first set, I was playing comfortable. It was a little bit different. The surface was a little bit faster, so it took me a while to adjust, but then I was playing better. She changed the tactics against me, but I'm happy to get away in two sets."
Playing just her second match since Wimbledon, Kuznetsova had to withdraw from San Diego and Los Angeles with an abdominal muscle injury. But the 21-year-old says she feels "fit to go" in her preparation for the US Open.
After top seed Kim Clijsters retired Wednesday night due to a left wrist strain, No.5 Nicole Vaidisova and Los Angeles finalist Jelena Jankovic also had to pull out due to right shoulder tendonitis. Kuznetsova is the highest-seeded player in Friday's quarterfinal line-up. No.14 Katarina Srebotnik will play No.13 Ana Ivanovic, Nicole Pratt will meet No.9 Dinara Safina, and Shahar Peer is up against Anna Chakvetadze.
Srebotnik defeated Stephanie Dubois 63 62; Ivanovic and Pratt advanced due to walkovers and Safina ousted Shenay Perry, 75 63. Peer toughed out a 26 75 64 victory over Marion Bartoli and Chakvetadze prevailed, 61 64, over Nathalie Dechy.
-- WTA
No.7 seed Hingis trailed 5-4, 0-40 in the first set of her 75 64 win but her Slovakian opponent, No.11 Daniela Hantuchova, gave away four straight points on forehand errors. The 23-year-old hit the first forehand in the net after a long rally and then missed three consecutive returns to let Hingis back in the match. Hingis raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set before Hantuchova reeled off three straight games.
"I think it only took me like seven days to get over it," Hantuchova said of her streak of errors. "Basically after that I just stopped playing. It was not only that game but the next game, I again had two game points. So instead of being up 64, 1-0, I was down 5-6. So, it was pretty frustrating. And it just took me way too long to be able to forget it and move on. And in the second set it was too late when I started to come back again."
Hingis will face Kuznetsova for the third time this year. In their first encounter, Hingis won in straight sets at Doha. But a few months later, Kuznetsova took revenge on the hardcourts of Miami, saving a match point in a 36 61 76(9) third round battle, en route to her sixth career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title. Hingis knows she has to bring her A-game against the 2004 US Open champion.
"We've already had two great matches this year," said Hingis, who won titles here in 1999 and 2000. "I know I have to come out with the best in me."
Kuznetsova also didn't have an easy task in her 62 76(6) victory over Ai Sugiyama. Trailing 5-6 and 15-40 in the second set, she managed to come back and force a tie-break.
"It was a little bit tough," Kuznetsova said. "At the end of the second set I got a little bit tense. But then I stopped to play the bad tennis, I had to. In the first set, I was playing comfortable. It was a little bit different. The surface was a little bit faster, so it took me a while to adjust, but then I was playing better. She changed the tactics against me, but I'm happy to get away in two sets."
Playing just her second match since Wimbledon, Kuznetsova had to withdraw from San Diego and Los Angeles with an abdominal muscle injury. But the 21-year-old says she feels "fit to go" in her preparation for the US Open.
After top seed Kim Clijsters retired Wednesday night due to a left wrist strain, No.5 Nicole Vaidisova and Los Angeles finalist Jelena Jankovic also had to pull out due to right shoulder tendonitis. Kuznetsova is the highest-seeded player in Friday's quarterfinal line-up. No.14 Katarina Srebotnik will play No.13 Ana Ivanovic, Nicole Pratt will meet No.9 Dinara Safina, and Shahar Peer is up against Anna Chakvetadze.
Srebotnik defeated Stephanie Dubois 63 62; Ivanovic and Pratt advanced due to walkovers and Safina ousted Shenay Perry, 75 63. Peer toughed out a 26 75 64 victory over Marion Bartoli and Chakvetadze prevailed, 61 64, over Nathalie Dechy.
-- WTA