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Kuznetsova breezes past Zvonareva in straight sets

Top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-2 yesterday to advance to the semi-finals of the Kremlin Cup.

Also, Elena Dementieva of Russia beat Belarusian teenager Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (4), 6-2 to reach her fifth straight semi-final at the Moscow tournament. She will next play Dinara Safina, who eliminated Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

In the men's tournament, Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia beat Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and fourth-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu eliminated Florent Serra 6-3, 6-3 in an all-French quarter-final.

Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion, won the first set in 31 minutes and sealed the victory with an overhead smash.

In her 10th semi-final of the year, the No. 2-ranked Kuznetsova will play Serena Williams or Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic, who played in a later quarter-final.

Williams, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, is playing in Moscow for the first time in a decade. In 1997, the 16-year-old Williams qualified and lost in the first round when she was ranked 448th in the world.

Dementieva, runner-up in 2001 and 2004, prevailed on a first-set tiebreaker and won four consecutive games in the second to win in one hour, 28 minutes.

The 18-year-old Azarenka, who upset second-seeded Maria Sharapova in the second round, never threatened Dementieva.

Safina, sister of Marat Safin, easily won the first set and was level at 3-3 in the second before losing three straight games. The 17th-ranked Russian broke twice in the third set to advance to her second semi-final in her hometown. She lost to eventual champion Mary Pierce in 2005.
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