Kuznetsova ends Jankovic's reign in Italy

Rome, May 07: Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova ended Jelena Jankovic's two-year reign as Italian Open champion when she beat the Serbian 6-1 7-6 on Thursday to go through to the semi-finals.

Jankovic, who beat Kuznetsova in the 2007 final for the first of her two Rome titles, could find no answer to the venom in her seventh seeded opponent's forehands in the first set.

She fared better in the second set, twice pulling back dropped serves and forcing two break points on set points in the 12th game.

But former U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova, in fine fettle after ending a title drought stretching back to 2007 at last week's Stuttgart Grand Prix, saved them both before sealing victory in the tiebreak.

World number one Dinara Safina meets Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and American fourth seed Venus Williams will battle with Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska for a place in the last four later on Thursday.