Russia`s Kuznetsova through to Miami Open semis
World No. 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia progressed to the semifinals of the $4.5 million Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Miami, Florida.
In a match that lasted almost three hours Tuesday night Kuznetsova, seeded eighth, finally overcame her 18-year-old opponent Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark to snatch victory in three sets 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1.
The 23-year-old Russian was cited on the tournament website as saying in a post-match interview "She [Wozniacki] was running and she was recovering many balls. She forced me to miss. But I think when I was playing the right tactics and the right game and mixing her up I was in control of everything."
Kuznetsova will now face Victoria Azarenka from Belarus, who easily won her quarterfinal match crushing Australia`s Samantha Stosur in straight sets 6-1, 6-0.
Speaking about the forthcoming semifinal against Kuznetsova, who has not won a tournament title since August 2007, Azarenka said the Russian was in good shape and playing well this year.
"She`s a great player. Obviously she has been playing very well this tournament, too. She had a great win today. I just want to keep going and play the same way I played today. Hopefully maybe better if it`s possible," Azarenka was cited on the tournament website.
Both players have already played each other three times with the Russian winning all their previous matches.
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