Kuznetsova Beats Serena in French Quarters

Russian is seeking 2nd major title
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 3, 2009 11:57 AM CDT
Kuznetsova Beats Serena in French Quarters
Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova, right, shakes hands with Serena Williams after a quarterfinal match of the French Open tennis tournament.   (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Svetlana Kuznetsova squandered a big lead today but still ended Serena Williams' 18-match Grand Slam winning streak by beating her 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5 in the French Open quarterfinals. Williams, seeded second, was seeking her third successive major title and the 11th of her career. The seesaw struggle was this close: Midway through the third set, each player had won 100 points.

The No. 7-seeded Kuznetsova bounced back from a messy spill that left her covered with clay. She was unhurt and play quickly resumed, but it took awhile for Kuznetsova to regain her footing. The Russian won with high-risk tennis, whacking winners into both corners and sometimes choosing angles that surprised Williams. Kuznetsova's opponent tomorrow will be Samantha Stosur of Australia.

(More tennis stories.)

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