INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nicole Vaidisova, the only Top 8 seeds who survived the early rounds of the Pacific Life Open, went to battle as the quarterfinals continued Thursday at the $2.1-million, Tier I event. And after three sets it was Kuznetsova who emerged the winner, 46 63 64. She'll face Sybille Bammer next.
The No.2-seeded Kuznetsova needed some time to adjust to the relentless blasts of the Czech teenager, seeded No.6, but just as she had done in their only two prior encounters, she ground out the victory in three sets. The match was a minute shy of two hours long.
"I was a bit slow in the first set; I was maybe a bit tense and wasn't getting to the ball as much as I would've liked," Kuznetsova said. "Nicole was serving very well, and I had just a few chances to break her, and I made almost all of them. But she played a good match and it was very tough out there. And I think it was very important to hold my serve in the third set."
"I played a great first set; I lost my rhythm in the second, a few mistakes here and there, then she was able to take advantage of it," Vaidisova said. "We played some great tennis. It was good match, definitely. But unfortunately it didn't end up the way I wanted it to."
Next up for Kuznetsova will be Sybille Bammer, who grabbed the No.33 seed only when Elena Dementieva was forced to withdraw from the tournament, due to a rib injury. The Austrian raced past No.13 seed Tatiana Golovin, 62 63.
"If someone had told me before the tournament that I'd reach the quarterfinals or semifinals, I'd say 'Okay, I'll take it,'" said Bammer, who had never been to the quarterfinals at an event of this size previously. "I am really happy about that. I was calm and tried to play my game, and I was not focusing on my opponents, that they are so good."
"Nothing was going on; it just happened," Golovin said. "It hasn't happened to me in a long time. It's kind of upsetting that it happens today, because I did have my chance to get into the semifinals. You just kind of have to move on."
Bammer's round of 16 win over Ana Ivanovic and Thursday's win over Golovin represent her career-first Top 20 wins. She attributes her newfound confidence against the top players to a specific win down under earlier in the year.
"I lost many times in the third against Top 10 players, but since this year when I beat Serena Williams I knew I really can beat everyone if I play well," said Bammer, who ousted the American at Hobart, the week before the Australian Open. "I thought, 'I beat Serena Williams, so why I shouldn't I beat the other players which are higher ranked?'"
Kuznetsova and Bammer have battled once before, on the red clay of Berlin last year, with the Russian prevailing in straight sets, 62 64.
Preceding that semifinal will be the first final four encounter, between No.12 seed Li Na and No.14-seeded Daniela Hantuchova, who won their quarterfinal matches on Wednesday. They have played twice previously and are tied 1-1 in those.
Both doubles semifinals will also take the court Friday, pitting top-seeded pairing Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur against Czechs Lucie Hradecka and Renata Voracova and reigning US Open winners Nathalie Dechy and Vera Zvonareva against recent Australian Open finalists Chan Yung-Jan and Chuang Chia-Jung. (WTA)
