Kuznetsova knocks out Jankovic of Italian Open

Rome:

Svetlana Kuznetsova upset two-time defending champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-1, 7-6 (3) in the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday.

The eighth-ranked Russian, who won the Porsche GP last week for her first title in almost two years, broke the third-seeded Jankovic four times.

She will play either Victoria Azarenka of Belarus or Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the semifinals.

In the first set, Kuznetsova hit winners from both sides of the court and attacked Jankovic's second serve. Jankovic was unable to convert two set points at 6-5 in the second, and Kuznetsova closed out the match after 1 hour, 38 minutes.

Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion, was a runner-up in Rome two years ago, when she lost to Jankovic in straight sets.

In the other quarterfinals, top-ranked Dinara Safina of Russia plays Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain, and Venus Williams is up against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.