KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) – Svetlana Kuznetsova is back in the Key Biscayne final 10 years after she won the tournament.
Kuznetsova erased 12 of the 14 break points she faced and beat Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-3 Thursday in the semifinals of the Miami Open.
The 30-year-old Kuznetsova’s opponent Saturday will be the winner of the semifinal Thursday night between No. 2-seeded Angelique Kerber and two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, who is seeded 13th.
Kuznetsova hadn’t enjoyed much success at Key Biscayne in recent years, but she upset eight-time champion Serena Williams in the fourth round and won four consecutive three-setters to reach the semifinals. At No. 19, the Russian is the lowest-ranked women’s finalist in the event since No. 38 Kim Clijsters earned the 2005 championship.
“I’m happy I could hang in there,” Kuznetsova said. “I haven’t been feeling my best, but I’ve been fighting with every ball and trying to run as much as I could.”
If Kuznetsova wins the title, she’ll return to the top 10 for the first time since 2010. She’s already assured of surpassing $20 million in career prize money.
On a sunny, sweltering afternoon, Kuznetsova earned the first break of her semifinal in the 10th game to take the grueling, 65-minute first set. She broke three consecutive times in the second set to pull away from the No. 19-seeded Bacsinszky.
“I was playing to finish it in two sets so I have a little bit of time to rest,” Kuznetsova said.
American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, who turned 38 this week, lost in the semifinals of doubles to Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, 6-3, 6-3. The Bryans hold a record 16 Grand Slam titles but haven’t won a tournament since August.