Kuznetsova Humbles Hingis; Sharapova, Srebotnik Advance in Zurich

ZÜRICH, Switzerland - Russia's best face two players who have already taken out some of the world's elite this week, as the semifinals take place on Saturday at the $1.34-million Zürich Open. Svetlana Kuznetsova had the highest quarterfinal hurdle to overcome on Friday, prevailing in three sets against Martina Hingis.

Kuznetsova and Hingis had played three times already this season, and each time it was tight. Hingis managed straight set wins at Doha and Montréal, while Kuznetsova won a nailbiting three-setter in Miami. Their match in Zürich was another three-setter and again it was the No.3-seeded Russian who prevailed over the No.5-seeded Swiss, 61 16 63; it was her Sony Ericsson WTA Tour-leading 59th match win of the year.

"It was a great match, except the second set," Kuznetsova said. "My coach came on court after the second set and made me realize I needed to concentrate more and get back on track. I felt fresh today but I've played a lot of tournaments this year so I'm tired. But I'm still strong. I'm happy to reach the semifinals here."

Kuznetsova is now through to an amazing 13th semifinal of the year, having gone 5-7 in her previous 12. But she has a winning record of 2-1 at the Tier I level or above, and has won her last four meetings against her semifinal foe, Daniela Hantuchova, both good omens for her campaign to reach the Zürich Open final.

"Overall, this year I've been more consistent and focused on my game, not on my opponents. Now I feel I concentrate more on my strategy. The turning point this year was Miami. I really got my confidence back after such a hard last year. In Doha and Dubai my game was back but winning Miami put me back on track."

Hantuchova defeated Schnyder and Ai Sugiyama in her first two rounds, then made it to the semifinals when top seed Amélie Mauresmo withdrew from the tournament citing a right shoulder injury. It is her first semifinal since the first week of the year, as well as her first at a Tier I tournament in over four years.

Hingis is one of three players who are fighting for the last two singles berths at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid. This was the Swiss' last scheduled event of the year; she leads Kim Clijsters and Patty Schnyder in the standings but those two each have one more event to play. Obviously, things will heat up over the next weeks in this battle for the critical Madrid berths.

"I enjoy playing her," said Hingis of Kuznetsova. "As usual, one point decided it, when she broke me that only time in the third set for 2-0. It was the same story in Doha and Montréal, when she had a few set points in the first set, but I won them. I had a match point in Miami but she wound up winning that match and the tournament. She was definitely more consistent this time.

"It was a great athmosphere out there with my home fans and they really helped me get back into it in the second set. This is the best that I've played since that Montréal quarterfinal. I'm looking forward to Madrid, should I qualify. I'd never have believed at the start of the year that I would make it this far."

Sharapova tries to stop Srebotnik's dream run

Maria Sharapova, the No.2 seed, joined Kuznetsova in the semis with a 64 63 win over another Swiss, Timea Bacsinszky. Bacsinszky, a qualifier in her first ever Tier I quarterfinal, used a strong backhand and energy from the vocal crowd to play her way deep into both sets, but could not overcome the clutch play of the Russian, who extended her perfect record to 11-0 this year in quarterfinals.

"I wasn't completely comfortable; there were ups and downs," said Sharapova, who has been nursing a foot injury recently. "It's better after you play more, move around more. After two matches, I'm in a groove and feeling better."

"I'd seen her a lot on television, so she's been in my head," Bacsinszky said. "I've sort of idolized her so it was great to be on the same court as her. Her experience in crucial moments made the difference but I'll learn from this week."

Bacsinszky, 17, thrilled the home crowd with an unlikely opening round win over Anastasia Myskina, then advanced to her first Tour quarterfinal when Francesca Schiavone retired from their second round match due to injury.

Next up for Sharapova is dangerous non-seed Katarina Srebotnik, who continued her impressive run with a 63 62 win over Russia's Maria Kirilenko. The Slovenian is through to her 14th career semifinal, going 8-5 in her first 13, but this is just her second semifinal appearance at the Tier I level or above, having reached the same round at Tokyo [Pan Pacific] six-and-a-half years ago.

"I've been training a lot and it's finally paying off," Srebotnik said. "It's been a long year but I'm lucky to be this fit at this time of year. I love the atmosphere here, the arena, the people; it all clicks for me and I feel very welcome here. That's important to help you play well."

Srebotnik's aggressive game could give Sharapova trouble Saturday; although she is 0-2 lifetime against the Russian, she did reverse a winless head-to-head against another Top 10 player earlier in the week, snapping a six-match losing streak to Elena Dementieva for her fourth career Top 10 win.

"Her results speak for themselves," Srebotnik said of Sharapova. "I have never beaten her but records are there to be broken. I'm playing well right now, but it also depends on her. I defeated Dementieva yesterday and I had never beaten her either. I will try to be aggressive because if I don't, she will." (WTA)