Mauresmo Pulls, Hingis Into Quarters at Zurich

While Daniela Hantuchova receives a free pass to the semifinals with the Mauresmo injury withdrawal, No.3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova will battle No.5 Martina Hingis at prime time on centre court. After Hingis won her second round without too much trouble on Wednesday, Kuznetsova had to dig deep to get past Jelena Jankovic, 76(6) 75, in just over two hours. Jankovic certainly had her opportunities but couldn't capitalize. The Serb led 6-3 in the tie-break and gave away three set points. She disputed several line calls, which might have contributed to her mental distraction. She also led 5-3 in the second set before losing the last four games.

"It was a very tough match today," Kuznetsova said. "I know how well she can play now since the US Open and we've played three times in the last few weeks. Today I took my chances very well in the first and second sets. She did not and that was the difference. I played very well when I had the set points against me and she got a little distracted when she called the referee onto the court. I know this can happen sometimes with her and I'm used to it."

Kuznetsova already knows what it will take to beat 2000 Zurich Open champion, Hingis. The two played each other three times this year and Hingis won twice, including the most recent encounter in Montreal.

"Tomorrow's not easy," Kuznetsova said. "Martina is playing at home in front of a Swiss crowd. I know what I have to do. Keep my unforced errors down as she doesn't give you anything and uses the power very well against you. But I'm motivated for this match and am really looking forward to it."

In the bottom half, Maria Kirilenko faces Katarina Srebotnik, who advanced with a 61 64 win over No.4 seed Elena Dementieva on Thursday. A day after qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships, Dementieva had no fitting recipe for her Slovenian opponent.

The third quarterfinal of the day matches Russian super star Maria Sharapova against 17-year-old qualifier Bacsinszky. While Sharapova battled a little more than two hours for her 64 76(4) win over Shahar Peer, Bacsinszky advanced after one set when Francesca Schiavone retired due to a right calf strain. She jumped to a 5-0 lead against Schiavone, but it was obvious that the No.8-seeded Italian was limited in her movement. Bacsinszy, who won her first couple of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour matches here, now faces a huge challenge against new US Open champion Sharapova. The Russian, who had to retire last week in Moscow due to a right foot strain, trailed 4-3 in the first set and saved a set point at 5-4 in the second.

"I was definitely struggling a little out there today," Sharapova said. "The court was slower than I expected and my opponent played a lot better than expected. She can definitely play. It was a little frustrating having to stop for five days (after Moscow). You feel like you're starting out again from scratch. But the foot has been holding up well. Obviously, a two-hour match isn't going to help, but at this point I'm trying my best to stay healthy."
-- WTA