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Gritty Svetlana Kuznetsova denies Jelena Jankovic Italy hat-trick
08.05.09
Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 7-6 to stop the Serbian claiming a hat-trick of titles at the Italian Open.
The Russian put on a powerful display to set up a semi-final against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus who beat Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 7-6, 6-3 in a scrappy encounter.
Jankovic said: "She was hitting the ball very, very well, deep and with a lot of power.
"She didn't allow me to play my game, especially in the first set. I wanted to win here three times in a row. Unfortunately it didn't happen but it's not the end of world."
American Venus Williams meets world No1 Dinara Safina in the other semi-final in Rome.
