PARIS -- Former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova earned a berth in the quarterfinals at the French Open by beating Angelique Kerber 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Sunday.
Ranked 39th and unseeded, Kuznetsova has reached the final eight in back-to-back major tournaments for the first time since 2009, when she won the title at Roland Garros. She reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January before losing.
Kuznetsova whacked a forehand winner on match point, then let out a jubilant scream. The two-time major champion improved to 12-2 this year in three-set matches, and her winning percentage of .820 (41-9) at Roland Garros is the best among active players.
She'll next face the winner of the match between No. 1-seeded Serena Williams and No. 15 Roberta Vinci.
In men's play, David Ferrer reached the quarterfinals for the sixth Grand Slam in a row by beating Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-1, 6-1. Ferrer, seeded No. 4, converted six of 17 break-point chances, held every service game and committed only 11 unforced errors to 41 for Anderson, seeded No. 23.
When the Spaniard closed out the victory, he looked to the blue sky and raised both fists. His next opponent will be the winner of the match between two fellow Spaniards, No. 11 Nicolas Almagro or No. 32 Tommy Robredo.
Ferrer has won four matches without dropping a set. He's a four-time major semifinalist, including at Roland Garros last year.