Chakvetadze advances to first Grand Slam semifinal

Sep 5, 2007 - 5:37 PM By Carl Dispoto PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Anna Chakvetadze advanced to her first career Grand Slam semifinal in impressive fashion Wednesday, rebounding from a shaky start to dominate Shahar Peer for a 6-4, 6-1 victory at the U.S. Open.

The sixth-seeded Chakvetadze, who lost in the quarterfinals at the Australian and French Opens this year, seemed in danger of dropping the first set before winning 10 of the next 11 games.

The 20-year-old Russian lost her serve in the opening game of the second set but was unfazed, winning the final six. A native of Israel, Peer had break point in the fifth game but hit a forehand long to lose the advantage and Chakvetadze easily won the next two points to build a 4-1 cushion.

Chakvetadze wasted little time putting away the match, smashing a forehand that hit the line to capture her fifth consecutive straight-sets victory.

The sloppy second set was a disappointing end to a surprise run for the 18th-seeded Peer, who was trying to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal. She lost to another Russian - Svetlana Kuznetsova - in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January.

Kuznetsova will try and hold off another surprising quarterfinalist when she faces when unseeded Agnes Szavay of Hungary.

The 18-year-old Szavay has continued a breakthrough year, that included her first career singles title, by opening her second appearance at Flushing Meadows with four consecutive victories in straight sets.

Kuznetsova is trying to replicate her run to the 2004 U.S. Open championship, when she became the first Russian female to capture the title. She has rebounded in 2007 after a couple of injury-plagued seasons and has looked unstoppable here - dropping just one set - although she has faced just one seeded opponent.

No. 12 seed Venus Williams tries to avoid her sister's fate on Wednesday evening when she takes on third-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.

Venus Williams is the only American woman left in the draw after Serena Williams was ousted by Kuznetsova on Tuesday. The Wimbledon champion faces an uphill battle against Jankovic, who is trying to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year.

A two-time U.S. Open champion, Williams has yet to lose a set through the first four rounds, eliminating No. 21 Alona Bondarenko and fifth seed Ana Ivanovic en route to her seventh appearance in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

Jankovic has won her last three meetings with Williams, though have not faced each other on a hard court since 2005, when Williams defeated Jankovic in the quarterfinals at Stanford.

Jankovic has defeated the American in both of their Grand Slam meetings (2007 French Open, 2006 Wimbledon).