Svetlana Kuznetsova has again failed to clear the Round of 8 in Kremlin Cup.
It’s the 5th occasion now when the 29-year old Russian has been knocked out from the quarter final round of this competition.
Kuznetsova was facing Lucie Safarova whom she had already beaten at Roland Garros this season. So, she had a bit of a psychological advantage over the Czech.
But, psychological advantage doesn’t matter that much in sports. What matters is form and quality and Safarova did show that she was in better form than the local girl.
At the start of the game though, Kuznetsova seemed to be in better touch as with a breakthrough in the 2nd game and then, a serve hold thereafter, she took a lead of 3-0 in the opening set.
But, she dropped her serve twice after that and the set went in Safarova’s favour.
In the second set also, Kuznetsova gave the breakthrough to her opponent at a crucial time and that proved the difference.
The first, second and the thirds seeds are already out of the tournament and now, with the departure of Kuznetsova, Safarova has become the favourite to clinch the trophy.
In the Round of 4, Safarova would be battling against Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania who made it to the semis by getting better of Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.
The other semi final of the tournament will be played between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) and Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic).
Pavlyuchenkova is the 6th seeded player in the tournament. So, her entry in the semis is not surprising, but, Siniakova has surely surprised people with her performances. She is a qualifier; still, she has made it this far which is appreciable. The 18-year old would want to keep going and reach the final as well.