Kuznetsova overcomes Wozniacki and Sydney heat

WELLINGTON: Former world No 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova defied sweltering heat to beat seventh seed Caroline Wozniacki on Tuesday in the second round of the Sydney International.

Russia’s Kuznetsova, was knocked out in the first round in Auckland last week and had to qualify for the main draw in Sydney, beat the former world No 1 7-6, 1-6, 6-2 in a match that lasted almost four hours.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported a temperature high of 41.4 C at Sydney’s Olympic Park and women’s top seed Radwanska had said earlier that play should have been abandoned until the temperature dropped.

The world No 4, who was given a bye into the second round, played the opening match on centre court and beat Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-4 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals but even that early in the day the heat was effecting the players.

Former French Open champion Li Na, who followed Radwanska onto court, compared the heat to playing in a sauna, but she was good enough to speed through Japan’s Ayumi Morita 6-1, 6-0 in 52 minutes.

Kuznetsova’s victory in the heat gave the 27-year-old Russian tremendous confidence she could continue to build towards the Australian Open having spent six months out rehabilitating a knee injury.

The former US and French Open champion spent two months on crutches last year and had to rebuild muscle strength in her legs to ensure she did not re-injure her right knee and dropped to 85th in the world rankings.

She had asked for a wild card for Sydney but was forced to play qualifiers, which had actually helped her build momentum into Tuesday’s win.

“It was very weird to go and play quallies, but, you know, it just makes you stronger,” she told reporters.

Kuznetsova, who will meet second-seeded German Angelique Kerber in the quarter-finals, said she was not taking the win over the 10th-ranked Wozniacki as a turning point in her rehabilitation.

“I just don’t think about it when it’s turning point and when it’s not,” she said.

While players battled heat in Sydney, in Melbourne men’s world No 12 Juan Monaco and 19 Kei Nishikori’s final Australian Open preparations were in doubt.

Argentina’s Monaco withdrew from the invitational Kooyong tournament with a hand injury and his spot in the eight man tournament, which starts on Wednesday, was taken by Paul-Henri Mathieu, tournament director Colin Stubs said.

Japan’s Nishikori also told reporters the knee injury that forced him out of the semi-finals in Brisbane on Saturday was still causing him problems and he did not know if he would play at Kooyong.

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