Mon Jun 30 12:29:36 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Serena, Venus reach QFs; Jankovic, Kuznetsova fall at Big W

---

Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - The powerful Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, notched fourth-round victories, while second-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic and fourth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova were upset victims Monday at Wimbledon.

Red-hot unseeded Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn tripped up Jankovic in 6-3, 6-2 fashion, while rising 14th-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska toppled the 2007 U.S. Open runner-up and former U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 on Day 7 at the All England Club. The top-four seeds are all gone here, as No. 1 Ana Ivanovic and former top-ranked star Maria Sharapova were among the upset victims last week.

Tanasugarn pulled off the stunner in 1 hour, 15 minutes with the help of four service breaks, compared to only one for Jankovic. The Serb also piled up 13 more unforced errors (19-6) than her Thai counterpart.

The 31-year-old Tanasugarn is riding a torrid nine-match winning streak, all on grass, including a surprise title in The Netherlands two weeks ago. She will now compete in her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Radwanska reached her second major quarterfinal of the year after 2 hours, 4 minutes of tennis. Kuznetsova uncorked 15 aces, but also tallied 17 more unforced errors (30-13) than her Polish opponent, who converted on her second match point when the Russian netted a backhand return.

Meanwhile, a sixth-seeded Serena stomped fellow American Bethanie Mattek 6-3, 6-3 and a seventh-seeded Venus vaulted past 18-year-old Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-4. Kleybanova was the youngest player still standing here.

Serena advanced in 1 hour, 9 minutes by firing six aces and breaking Mattek's serve three times, while Mattek was unable to break Serena's capable serve throughout the match. Venus topped Kleybanova in 1 hour, 23 minutes, with the help of three breaks, compared to only one for the loser from Russia.

The six-time Grand Slam champion Venus is the reigning Wimbledon champ and a four-time titlist here, while the eight-time major champion Serena owns a pair of Wimbledon titles, with both championship match victories coming against Venus in 2002 and 2003. Serena was also the runner-up to Sharapova here in 2004.

Venus' quarterfinal opponent will be the resurgent Tanasugarn, while Serena will take on the talented Radwanska.

In other fourth-round action, 18th-seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova overcame eighth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3, while Chinese Jie Zheng ousted 15th-seeded Hungarian Agnes Szavay 6-3, 6-4, and 21st-seeded Nadia Petrova handled fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-4. Zheng stunned Ivanovic in the third round, while Kudryavtseva shocked Sharapova in the second in Week 1.

Vaidisova will face Zheng in the quarters.