Kuznetsova upsets defending champion Jankovic 6-1, 7-6 (3) in Italian Open quarterfinals

Kuznetsova upsets Jankovic at Italian Open

ROME — Dinara Safina rallied to beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 Thursday and reach the Italian Open semifinals, while two-time defending champion Jelena Jankovic lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Seeking her first title since reaching the top of the rankings last month, Safina was pressured in the first set by the 48th-ranked Martinez Sanchez, who mixed up her game with a number of drop shots and net winners.

The Russian trailed 3-1 in the second set before turning her game around, winning 11 consecutive games to finish the match.

Safina will face either Venus Williams or Agnieszka Radwanska, who played later.

Kuznetzova, who won the Porsche GP last week for her first title in almost two years, dictated play with her powerful groundstrokes and hit 27 winners — more than twice as many as her opponent.

She will play the sixth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who defeated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 7-6 (5), 6-3 in a sloppy match that saw 13 breaks of serve.

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.

“I played what she liked, and, of course, she has more power than me,” said Jankovic, who has dropped to fourth in the rankings after ending last season as No. 1.

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

She will play Victoria Azarenka, who defeated Kaia Kanepi 7-6 (5), 6-3 in a sloppy match with 13 breaks of serve — including 10 in the first set — and numerous unforced errors.

“It was a pretty bad match from both of us. I’m just happy I managed to stay calm in the second set and pull it off,” said the 19-year-old Azarenka, who has won three tournaments this year to reach No. 8 in the rankings.

“Definitely I need to step it up and be tough tomorrow.”