FRENCH OPEN
Venue: Roland Garros Date: 24 May - 7 June
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button, live streaming and daily text commentary on BBC Sport website, commentary on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra, plus updates on BBC Radio 5 Live. TV coverage on Eurosport.
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Kuznetsova made the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year
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Seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova ended Serena Williams' hopes of a second French Open title with a topsy-turvy victory in the quarter-finals in Paris.
The Russian withstood a first-set fightback from the 2002 champion but was broken twice as she threw away the second set after serving for victory.
Williams began the decider well but seemed to tire, allowing Kuznetsova to seal a 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 7-5 victory.
Kuznetsova next faces Samantha Stosur, who beat Sorana Cirstea 6-1 6-3.
Top seed Dinara Safina will play Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the Thursday's other semi-final.
Kuznetsova got off to a flying start against Williams on Court Suzanne Lenglen, securing an early double break with a fabulous running backhand pass that even had her opponent applauding.
But the Russian could not maintain that early pace and a double-fault on break point in the following game brought Williams back into the match.
The pair held serve in a high-quality set until Williams stepped up a gear to break again in a superb 10th game that included a brilliant drop shot and a wrong-footing backhand.
Kuznetsova saved a set point on serve two games later, and she moved clear in the tie-break with stunning winners off the forehand and backhand on her way to taking it 7-3.
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606: DEBATE
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Williams, the second seed, could not contain Kuznetsova at the start of the second, a magnificent lob helping the Russian break before a net-cord secured a 3-0 lead.
The 2004 US Open champion came under the expected pressure on serve and, moments after a heavy fall, she went wide with a backhand as Williams broke back to trail 4-3.
That appeared to herald a fightback from the American but Kuznetsova responded with an immediate break of her own, only to falter when serving for the match and Williams then levelled at 5-5.
This time, Williams was able to maintain the initiative, breaking again on her way to the second set and - again at the beginning of the decider thanks to a huge backhand winner down the line.
Kuznetsova was seemingly there for the taking but the American could not press home her advantage, instead looking tired as she was broken back to 3-3, in what was the beginning of the end for her hopes.
Some big serving from Williams saw her through her next service game but, at 4-5, some wild groundstrokes handed Kuznetsova two match points.
Both were saved, but it was just postponing the inevitable. Kuznetsova held with ease and quickly had her opponent on the ropes again at 15-40 - this time wrapping up her win when Serena sent a backhand into the tramlines.
On Court Philippe Chatrier, Australian 30th seed Stosur faced unseeded 19-year-old Cirstea in a surprise quarter-final as neither player had previously made the second week of a Grand Slam.
Stosur, 25, had seen off fourth seed Elena Dementieva on her way to the last eight, and Cirstea upset fifth seed Jelena Jankovic, but it was the Australian who dominated from the outset.
She raced through the first set for the loss of just one game and held off a more determined challenge in the second to win in one hour 20 minutes.
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