Kuznetsova gets past Pliskova to advance to Cincinnati semifinals

Super Sveta!

Wildcard @SvetlanaK27 powers past No. 3 seed Pliskova 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 to reach her first semifinal at a Premier level tournament or above since 2017 in Madrid.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/U79KqKJOTK

— Western & Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 16, 2019

 

Probably no one saw it coming, but Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced to the Cincinnati semifinals today with a three-set victory (3-6, 7-6, 6-3) over 3rd seed and 2016 champion Karolina Pliskova. Kuznetsova, who was unable to defend her Citi Open title because of a visa problem, was able to go to Toronto, where she made it to the third round. In Cincinnati, she has defeated 11th seed Anastasija Sevastova, impressive newcomer Dayana Yastremska, 8th seed Sloane Stephens, and Pliskova.

The Russian veteran has had to deal with both a wrist injury and a knee injury this season. She's also had issues with coaching changes, and says that "nothing has been easy." The two-time major champion (U.S. Open, 2004, French Open, 2009) is known for many things--her heavy topspin, strong legs, fair-mindedness and candor, and her tendency to lose matches she "should" win. Today, she looked dominant throughout much of her quarterfinal match, in which she beat one of the best hard court players on the tour.

Kuznetsova, currently ranked number 153 in the world, will next face top seed Ashleigh Barty. Barty defeated Maria Sakkari 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 in today's first quarterfinal. The two have never before played one another.

Another surprise came this afternoon when world number 1 Naomi Osaka retired in the third set of her match against Sonya Kenin. Osaka experienced pain in her knee, but--as of a couple of hours ago--had no idea what was wrong. She said in her press conference that she has a high pain tolerance and so she sometimes keeps playing when she should stop. Today, she stopped right away. Obviously, as the U.S. Open defending champion, Osaka is even more concerned than a player would normally be about an injury. She said she wasn't troubled by the thought of not winning the U.S. Open; rather, she was troubled by the thought of perhaps not playing in it.

Today's last quarterfinal featured Venus Williams and 16th seed Madison Keys. Keys, continuing her excellent form, hit 32 winners and made only 17 unforced errors. She defeated Williams 6-2, 6-3, and will play Kenin in the semifinals.

In doubles, 8th seeds Lucie Hradecka and Andreja Klepac wild cards defeated Karolina and Kristyna Pliskova 7-6, 7-5, and  5th seeds Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Demi Schuurs defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and CoCo Vandeweghe 7-6, 7-6.