Kuzy v Petrova in All-Russian Stuttgart Semi
Posted on October 7, 2006STUTTGART, Germany -- Svetlana Kuznetsova hit double digits in her post-US Open win streak on Friday, clobbering an in-form Jelena Jankovic, 64 61, to reach the final four at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Also making it to the semifinals were fellow Top 10 players Nadia Petrova and Patty Schnyder and an unseeded Tatiana Golovin.
Kuznetsova continued to show her impressive fall form against Jankovic, dominating her service games (she won 75% of points on her delivery), and breaking Jankovic's serve a total of four times in the match. It was her 10th straight win following a loss to the young Serb in the fourth round of the US Open; the Russian won eight matches in claiming titles at Bali and Beijing since, a double that helped her qualify for the upcoming Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid.
"I'm very happy with the way I played this match today," Kuznetsova said after the match. "I had to raise my level today and I did. Also, I went on to the court knowing I lost to her the last time at the US Open and I wanted to change this."
Having begun the season ranked No.14, Kuznetsova has compiled a slew of solid showings, and just recently returned to her career-high No.4 spot. Among those showings are the aforementioned Bali and Beijing runs, her first Tier I (at Miami) and a runner-up finish at Roland Garros. This is her 12th semifinal of the year.
"It's very important to me to play well at this time of the year as I haven't done that before, but now I'm taking everything I do very professionally, making sure I prepare in the right ways, and I think it's working out to my advantage."
Jankovic was coming off a two-and-a-half hour Thursday victory against qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova, and appeared to be struggling with fatigue. She had won 39 of her last 52 matches coming into the quarters, including a string of Top 10 wins at the US Open, and was definitely a dangerous threat to Kuznetsova's streak.
Petrova, Golovin win; Dementieva withdraws
Next up for Kuznetsova will be Petrova, the No.4 seed this week, who took care of unseeded Daniela Hantuchova, 62 64. The Russian blasted seven aces and overcame a 3-1 second set deficit in notching her third consecutive straight set victory over the Slovak, who was coming off an upset over new Top 10 player Dinara Safina. Now, a revitalized Petrova reaches her first semifinal since winning the Tier I title in Berlin towards the end of the clay court season.
"I definitely played my best tennis of the week today; I was serving really well and taking control of the points," said Petrova, who will not only go up against her compatriot's win streak on Saturday, but also an 0-2 head-to-head. "I finally feel I'm getting my confidence back. I'm very excited to be in the semis here."
The quickest win of the day went to Tatiana Golovin, who beat Michaella Krajicek, 61 62, in a battle between unseeded teens. Golovin was particularly devastating on return and in the rallies, taking control of the points with her big forehand and using her agility to track down just about anything Krajicek could throw at her.
"I started off really well and felt very confident today," Golovin said. "My level went down a bit in the second set. It's hard to maintain the same level throughout the match. But I really enjoy playing here. The crowd really knows its tennis, and it's a blast to play. Going into my semifinal, I'm going to have to step it up and play my best tennis to win."
Golovin will next play No.5 seed Patty Schnyder, who advanced when No.3 seed Elena Dementieva withdrew from the event due to a left quadriceps strain.
"I'm very disappointed to have to pull out after playing so hard to win my match on Wednesday," said Dementieva, who endured a marathon three-setter with Katarina Srebotnik to reach the quarters. "The cramping really affected my left thigh, and now I have injured it. Having a day off yesterday made it even harder to recover and now I find it hard to move without pain. I'm really sad for the fans here, and myself too, as this is always such a great tournament. All the top players want to play in Stuttgart, having moved to this terrific venue."
Golovin and Schnyder will play for the third time, the Swiss winning their two prior meetings, at Gold Coast last year (36 64 63) and Stanford just a few months ago (76(4) 61). This will be their first encounter on an indoor hardcourt.
Semifinal Saturday kicks off at 1:15pm local time with Golovin against Schnyder, with Petrova against Kuznetsova to follow directly afterwards. The doubles semis follow after that.
-- WTA
Kuznetsova continued to show her impressive fall form against Jankovic, dominating her service games (she won 75% of points on her delivery), and breaking Jankovic's serve a total of four times in the match. It was her 10th straight win following a loss to the young Serb in the fourth round of the US Open; the Russian won eight matches in claiming titles at Bali and Beijing since, a double that helped her qualify for the upcoming Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid.
"I'm very happy with the way I played this match today," Kuznetsova said after the match. "I had to raise my level today and I did. Also, I went on to the court knowing I lost to her the last time at the US Open and I wanted to change this."
Having begun the season ranked No.14, Kuznetsova has compiled a slew of solid showings, and just recently returned to her career-high No.4 spot. Among those showings are the aforementioned Bali and Beijing runs, her first Tier I (at Miami) and a runner-up finish at Roland Garros. This is her 12th semifinal of the year.
"It's very important to me to play well at this time of the year as I haven't done that before, but now I'm taking everything I do very professionally, making sure I prepare in the right ways, and I think it's working out to my advantage."
Jankovic was coming off a two-and-a-half hour Thursday victory against qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova, and appeared to be struggling with fatigue. She had won 39 of her last 52 matches coming into the quarters, including a string of Top 10 wins at the US Open, and was definitely a dangerous threat to Kuznetsova's streak.
Petrova, Golovin win; Dementieva withdraws
Next up for Kuznetsova will be Petrova, the No.4 seed this week, who took care of unseeded Daniela Hantuchova, 62 64. The Russian blasted seven aces and overcame a 3-1 second set deficit in notching her third consecutive straight set victory over the Slovak, who was coming off an upset over new Top 10 player Dinara Safina. Now, a revitalized Petrova reaches her first semifinal since winning the Tier I title in Berlin towards the end of the clay court season.
"I definitely played my best tennis of the week today; I was serving really well and taking control of the points," said Petrova, who will not only go up against her compatriot's win streak on Saturday, but also an 0-2 head-to-head. "I finally feel I'm getting my confidence back. I'm very excited to be in the semis here."
The quickest win of the day went to Tatiana Golovin, who beat Michaella Krajicek, 61 62, in a battle between unseeded teens. Golovin was particularly devastating on return and in the rallies, taking control of the points with her big forehand and using her agility to track down just about anything Krajicek could throw at her.
"I started off really well and felt very confident today," Golovin said. "My level went down a bit in the second set. It's hard to maintain the same level throughout the match. But I really enjoy playing here. The crowd really knows its tennis, and it's a blast to play. Going into my semifinal, I'm going to have to step it up and play my best tennis to win."
Golovin will next play No.5 seed Patty Schnyder, who advanced when No.3 seed Elena Dementieva withdrew from the event due to a left quadriceps strain.
"I'm very disappointed to have to pull out after playing so hard to win my match on Wednesday," said Dementieva, who endured a marathon three-setter with Katarina Srebotnik to reach the quarters. "The cramping really affected my left thigh, and now I have injured it. Having a day off yesterday made it even harder to recover and now I find it hard to move without pain. I'm really sad for the fans here, and myself too, as this is always such a great tournament. All the top players want to play in Stuttgart, having moved to this terrific venue."
Golovin and Schnyder will play for the third time, the Swiss winning their two prior meetings, at Gold Coast last year (36 64 63) and Stanford just a few months ago (76(4) 61). This will be their first encounter on an indoor hardcourt.
Semifinal Saturday kicks off at 1:15pm local time with Golovin against Schnyder, with Petrova against Kuznetsova to follow directly afterwards. The doubles semis follow after that.
-- WTA