[kihei]

Don't think Kuznetsova has much of a chance against Vika, but I guess I better watch her try after saying how much I missed her in GSs....well, well, it took Svetlana 10 deuces to do it but she finally broke Azarenka, 3-1...Svetlana, both footwork and timing still a work in progress, struggles through several deuces herself but eventually consolidates the break, 4-1...a bad service game from Kuznetsova takes it to 4-3. Her lateral movement seems really restricted; she was never a gazelle before but she got the job done, now she clunks about looking years older than she is....5-5 as Svetlana continues to make a match of it but Vika has perhaps too much game for her in the long run....and indeed Vika wins a 77 minute set 7-5 as Svetlana's slice backhand again finds the net.

It's such an interesting match up to look at. Greek goddess (though an unappealing one somehow) versus potato-dumpling grandmother to be, but Kuznetsova is a pretty good athlete.

Kuznetsova breaks to start the second, a gift from Vika....the good fortune didn't last long, 2-1 Vika in a snap...looking tired, Kuznetsova gives up another break. She is getting no lift whatsoever on her slice backhand with the result that it is seldom clearing the net under pressure--she's up to 20 errors on her backhand side alone, 4-1...and Vika closes it out quickly and economically, 6-1. Kuznetsova showed some fight, especially early in the first set, but the great Earth Mother of Russian tennis isn't what she used to be.