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Kuznetsova-Dementieva final

DUBAI: Never keen on being second best, Svetlana Kuznetsova improved her chances of reaching the pinnacle at some time later in the year by reaching her second final of 2008 on Friday.

The World No. 3 from St. Petersburg, whose mother won six world cycling titles and father coached Olympic champions, overcame Jelena Jankovic, the World No. 4 from Serbia, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Barclays Dubai tennis championships.

It was an important victory in a patchy match for a player who lasted a physically testing two-hour 42-minute encounter better than her opponent.

Kuznetsova will play the 13th all-Russian WTA Tour singles final when she takes on Elena Dementieva, the former U.S. and French Open runner-up.

The unseeded Dementieva joined her compatriot in the final by winning 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 against Francesca Schiavone, the Italian who had ousted ending Justine Henin on Thursday.

Bhupathi-Knowles enter semifinals

At Memphis, the top-seeded pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles stormed into the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over the Russian-American combination of Igor Kunitsyn and Jeff Thomas.

Important results:

At Dubai (WTA Dubai Open): Semifinals: Elena Dementieva bt Francesca Schiavone 5-7, 7-5, 6-2; Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Quarterfinals: Dementieva bt Ana Ivanovic 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

At Zagreb (ATP Zagreb indoors): Semifinals: Sergiy Stakhovsky bt Simone Bolelli 6-4, 6-4. Quarterfinals: Bolelli bt Olivier Rochus 7-6(5), 6-4; Mario Ancic bt Robin Haase 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

At Memphis (Memphis championships): Singles: Second round: Men: Andy Roddick bt Mardy Fish 6-4, 6-2; Jonas Bjorkman bt Sam Querrey 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4); Chris Guccione bt Thomas Johansson 6-3, 6-4.

Women: Quarterfinals: Lindsay Davenport bt Caroline Wozniacki 6-0, 6-2; Shahar Peer bt Sofia Arvidsson 3-6, 6-1, 6-3; Olga Govortsova bt Julia Goerges 7-6(5), 6-2; Marina Erakovic bt Alla Kudryavtseva 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Doubles: Quarterfinals: Men: Mahesh Bhupathi & Mark Knowles bt Igor Kunitsyn & Jeff Thomas 6-3, 6-2; First round: Bhupathi & Knowles bt John Isner & David Young 6-4, 6-2; Kunitsyn & Thomas bt Rohan Bopanna & Dudi Sela 7-5, 6-4.

At Acapulco (Acapulco International championships): Men: Quarterfinals: David Nalbandian bt Potito Starace 6-3, 6-3; Nicolas Almagro bt Nicolas Massu 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Luis Horna bt Agustin Calleri 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Jose Acasuso bt Marcel Granollers 7-6(2), 6-3. — Agencies

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