Svetlana Kuznetsova upset world No. 1
Dinara Safina last week in the final at
Stuttgart, and on Thursday her roll continued as she ousted two-time defending champion
Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 7-6(3) at the WTA stop in
Rome, the Italian Open.
Kuznetsova ended a long title slump by raising the trophy last Sunday at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Kuznetsova is now into the semifinals, and avenged a loss to Jankovic in the 2007 Rome final. She delivered 27 winners to just 12 from Jankovic, and will next face No. 6 seed
Victoria Azarenka, who defeated No. 16 seed
Kaia Kanepi 7-6, 6-3.
In other quarterfinal matches, Safina faces Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and
Venus Williams faces
Agnieszka Radwanska.
