MOSCOW, October 18 (R-Sport) – Svetlana Kuznetsova trounced second seed Roberta Vinci on Friday to reach the semifinal of the Kremlin Cup tennis tournament in Moscow.
Playing in front of a sparse yet energetic home crowd at the Olympiisky Sports Complex, the eighth-seeded Russian converted six of 13 break point opportunities to saunter to a 6-2, 6-3 win.
Kuznetsova, 28, visibly dominated the court in the first set, and although the Italian managed to put up a little more resistance in the second, which started with five breaks of serves, Kuznetsova displayed greater tenacity to see out the match.
"The first set was just brilliant for me, in the second I fumbled a little bit, but I made the right adjustments and I'm pleased with it," Kuznetsova said. "My opponent didn't surprise me today."
The Russian, who is ranked 12 places below Vinci at No. 23, will now play seventh seed and last year's finalist Sam Stosur, who edged past fourth seed Ana Ivanovic in two sets.
Kuznetsova and Stosur, also doubles partners, have an even head-to-head record, winning three clashes each, however the Australian won both matches in 2013 in Cincinnati and Doha.
"We understand each other very well in doubles and enjoy it, but I don't think it will affect our performance tomorrow," Kuznetsova said. "It will be a very tough match and I should be mentally prepared for it."
It will be Kuznetsova's second semifinal in the Russian capital: She was stopped by Serena Williams in 2007.
In the last two quarterfinals, fifth seed Simona Halep plays local wild card Alisa Kleybanova, while another Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, meets Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
In the doubles, Kuznetsova and Stosur will meet Janette Husarova and Klara Zakopalova in the semifinals later Friday.
The Kremlin Cup is a hard-court ATP 250 and WTA Premier tournament with a prize fund of $795,000 for the women's competition.
