Kuznetsova Battles into Final at Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships

Dubai, UAE, February 29th, 2008: Second seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the final of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships with a hard-fought 5-7 6-4 6-3 win over fourth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia on Friday.

It was a tense match from beginning to end, with neither player giving an inch in the two-hour 42-minute match. Although Kuznetsova twice took the lead in the first set she dropped her own serve in the next game each time. And even though the second break left her leading 5-3 she was unable to close out the set. She made a backhand error to lose a set point at 5-4, held a game point to lead 6-5 before losing her serve again, and then she was unable to convert a break point as Jankovic served for the set.

Despite that disappointment Kuznetsova responded by breaking to lead 2-0 in the second set, but Jankovic again responded by breaking in the fifth game and once more to lead 4-3. But instead of going on to close out the match, she allowed Kuznetsova to win the next three games and the set.

After an early break each in the deciding set Jankovic began to tire, and after Kuznetsova survived three break points at 2-2 she allowed the Russian to break for 4-2. She then held six match points on the Jankovic serve, losing most of them with backhand errors, before serving out the match to love.

“The match was going longer and longer and I was feeling better and better. I cannot explain it,” Kuznetsova said. “I was far from my best game and it was very important to stay focused because usually when I play her I have so many chances and when I don’t use them I get so frustrated.

“That’s what happened to me after the first set a little it. The same thing happened when I played her in the final in Rome and today it was very important for me to go through it. I thought I did it pretty well, and in the third set I just had to stay calm and play my game.”

Jankovic said she intends to work on her conditioning after she grew tired in the final stages.

“Unfortunately one had to lose and that was me today, but I have to work a little bit on my conditioning because physically I wasn’t there at the end,” said Jankovic. “At the end of the second set and throughout the third I had a tough time really using my legs and getting into a shot.

“She was the stronger one today. She was the one who kept the pace up the whole time and I dropped down because of my fitness and physical condition."