Tennis: Kuznetsova cruises into Indian Wells semi-finals
Kuznetsova reached Indian Wells semi-finals with 6-3, 6-2 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
INDIAN WELLS (AFP) - Eighth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova steamed into the semi-finals of the Indian Wells WTA tournament on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Kuznetsova needed just 63 minutes to power past her 19th-seeded countrywoman, who had come out on top in the pair s two meetings in the past three months.
Kuznetsova, 31, is a two-time Grand Slam champion who last year returned to the top 10 for the first time since 2010.
She reached back-to-back Indian Wells finals in 2007 and 2008, but has never lifted the trophy.
Kuznetsova next faces either seventh-seeded French Open champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain or third-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova.
Pliskova and Muguruza met in the third round at Indian Wells two years ago -- before both planted themselves firmly among the world s top 10.
Muguruza went on to reach the Wimbledon final that year, before capturing her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros last year, while Pliskova was runner-up at the US Open last year.
Pliskova is the highest-ranked player remaining in the field with the fourth-round exit of Germany s Angelique Kerber -- who is, nevertheless, poised to return to number one in the world.
The Czech has dominated Muguruza, winning the last five of their six prior encounters.
"I think it s one of the toughest matches I can have now," Muguruza said. "I think she s playing very good. She has been very consistent, and, yeah, I have been watching her."
The remaining women s semi-finalists will be decided on Thursday, when seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams takes on Russian Elena Vesnina and 2011 Indian Wells champion Caroline Wozniacki faces France s Kristina Mladenovic.
Williams, who ended a 15-year boycott of the event last year but lost in the second round, is after a first Indian Wells title.
