Big-hitting Kuznetsova sets up Serena clash

Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 7th seed, beat 20-year-old Pole Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in a topsy-turvy match here on Monday to secure a place in the French Open quarter-finals.

Kuznetsova, the 2006 French Open runner-up and a top-ten player since June of that year, will meet American second seed Serena Williams in the last eight.

The 23-year-old Russian, US Open champion in 2004, broke first when Radwanska netted a forehand in the fifth game but allowed the Pole to break back in game seven when she followed up a double fault with a netted backhand.

Radwanska looked to test her more heavily built opponent's agility by drawing her to the net but Kuznetsova's power play proved equal to the task and she broke again immediately in the next game before serving out for the set.

Radwanska, the 12th seed, responded by upping her game in set two, attacking Kuznetsova's serve and forcing the Russian into errors.

The Pole broke when a Kuznetsova backhand floated inches beyond the baseline and then broke again to put herself in command of the second set, levelling the match with an ace at 5-1 up and taking the game into a decider.

Kuznetsova had lost her previous two matches against Radwanska, who has never progressed beyond the fourth round at Roland Garros, but she took first blood in the third set by breaking at the first opportunity.

An inch-perfect backhand into the bottom-right corner of the court gave Kuznetsova a second break and a 4-0 lead as the rhythm flowed back into her play and she served out for the match to set up an intriguing meeting with Williams who defeated Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 6-2.