Court Report: Kuznetsova, Pliskova to meet in Indian Wells semifinals

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Court Report: Kuznetsova, Pliskova to meet in Indian Wells semifinals

Kuznetsova routed countrywoman Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 6-

Published Mar 16, 2017

Each day on TENNIS.com, we’ll feature Tennis Channel’s Court Report, a rundown of the day that was in the sport—along with our thoughts on what’s happening on the courts around the world.

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The men’s side of the Indian Wells draw was the talk of Wednesday, with Novak Djokovic taking on Nick Kyrgios and Roger Federer renewing his rivalry with Rafael Nadal.

But on the WTA, four of the remaining eight women were playing for a spot in the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals.

Veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova was the first woman in the desert to book her spot in the semis after routing countrywoman and friend Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 6-2.

The 31-year-old is into the semis at Indian Wells for the first time since 2008.

“Today was kind of [an] important match,” the eighth seed said on court after her victory. “I lost [in] Sydney, I lost [in] Melbourne. I knew I was not playing my best back then. [On Wednesday] I felt much better on the court, so it was very important to focus.”

The two-time Grand Slam champion, not taking herself too seriously, gave the audience a small glimpse into what it’s like to compete against a buddy.

“Yeah, we are close friends,” Kuznetsova said, pointing to Pavlyuchenkova. “I [asked] her for [a] selfie before the match. She looked at me like I was so strange, so it was funny.”

Kuznetsova will play Karolina Pliskova for a spot in the final. The world No. 3 advanced on Wednesday with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win over French Open champion Garbine Muguruza.

The other four quarterfinalists, scheduled to play on Thursday, are Caroline Wozniacki, Kristina Mladenovic, Venus Williams and Elena Vesnina.

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Court Report: Kuznetsova, Pliskova to meet in Indian Wells semifinals

Court Report: Kuznetsova, Pliskova to meet in Indian Wells semifinals

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