Kuznetsova channels Nadal to spark upset

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CHANNELLING Rafael Nadal is never a bad thing for a tennis player, especially at the French Open.

That's what Svetlana Kuznetsova did to spark another upset in the women's draw, sending out No. 5 seed Petra Kvitova 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 9-7 yesterday.

"I feel really good, I feel really excited, happy," said Kuznetsova.

"I really feel almost like Rafa out there, you know," she added, smiling.

Australian Open quarter-finalist and 2008 Roland Garros champion Ana Ivanovic, who had been tipped as a dark horse to win the tournament this year, was on the wrong end of another surprise result, beaten by 23rd seed Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-3.

Safarova faces Kuznetsova in the fourth round.

With leading seeds tumbling all around them, none of the remaining contenders, except favourite Maria Sharapova, will go so far as to claim they are a major title threat.

"I don't care who is a contender, who is not," said Kuznetsova, who waited five years between winning her first grand slam at the US Open in 2004 and her last, at Roland Garros, five years ago. "I just try to play my best, and you never know how it will go.

"Many other girls are playing extremely well, and you never know who can win the title."

Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova (R) shakes hands with Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova (L) at the end of their French tennis Open third round match. Source: AFP

With top seed Serena Williams, No. 2 Li Na, No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska and now No. 5 Kvitova and No. 11 Ivanovic all out of the tournament, the draw has been blown wide open.

Sixth-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic yesterday defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-1 6-2.

But she was only thinking as far ahead as her fourth-round match with 10th seed Sara Errani.

"There is still a lot of great players in the draw and still so many tough opponents to play against," Jankovic said.

Simona Halep is the highest seed left at No. 4 after a comfortable 6-3 6-0 win against Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor of Spain.

"The first three seeds, they lost, that's a surprise for everyone," Halep said.

"It's not easy to be the first seeded now during the tournament but I try just to keep out from me the pressure and just to play every match, because here every match is difficult."

Halep next plays American Sloane Stephens, who advanced to the fourth round with a 6-3 6-4 win over EkaterIna Makarova of Russia.

German No. 28 seed Andrea Petkovic progressed with a 6-4 4-6 6-4 win against Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic, as did Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens, who beat Spain's Silvia Soler-Espinosa.

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