Kuznetsova ends Jankovic's reign in Italy

By Paul Virgo

ROME (Reuters) - Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova ended Jelena Jankovic's two-year reign as champion by beating the Serbian 6-1 7-6 in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday.

World number one Dinara Safina kept alive hopes of setting up an all-Russian final when she survived another scare to reach the last four with a 4-6 6-3 6-0 win over Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Before facing Kuznetsova, however, she will have to navigate past American Venus Williams, who overwhelmed Polish 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1 6-2 inside 70 minutes.

Jankovic, who defeated Kuznetsova in the 2007 final for the first of her two Rome titles, could find no answer to the venom in her seventh-seeded opponent's forehands in the first set.

She fared better in the second set and twice fought back from break downs but Kuznetsova kept her nerve to seal victory in the tiebreak with a backhand winner.

"She was hitting the ball very, very well, deep and with a lot of power," Jankovic told a news conference.

"She didn't allow me to play my game, especially in the first set. She deserved to win. I wanted to win here three times in a row. Unfortunately it didn't happen... but it's not the end of world."

REMARKABLE FIGHTBACK