September 23, 2006	Saturday	Sha'aban 29, 1427

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BEIJING, Sept 22: Svetlana Kuznetsova denied the dream of an all domestic semi-final at China Open with her 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 defeat of Li Na Friday.

The Russian second seed emphatically booked her place in the last four at the Beijing tennis centre, setting up a semi-final match with 60th-ranked Peng Shuai.

Kuznetsova, the winner last week in Bali and the Roland Garros finalist against Justine Henin-Hardenne, broke her opponent three times in the two-hour contest.

The 21-year-old stretched her win streak to seven matches and improved her 2006 mark to 54-15.

Earlier, Peng emerged victorious in her third of three quarter-finals this season with a fighting 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory over Japan's Ai Sugiyama.

In the day's highest-profile quarter-final, top seed Amelie Mauresmo will hope to put 11 straight defeats to Lindsay Davenport aside when the pair meet for the 16th time.

Mauresmo is playing for the first time in China this week while Davenport appears to have put plans for retirement aside yet again as her form lifts towards season's end.

Peng, who began her season 1-6, survived an error-filled contest which lasted two hours, 41 minutes.

Between them, she and Sugiyama offered up a massive 33 break-point opportunities, with the Japanese losing her serve six times while Peng was broken on five occasions.

The Chinese player thrilled home fans at the Beijing tennis centre as she concluded with a break to advance into Saturday's showdown.

Serbian sixth seed Jelena Jankovic upset Russian third seed Nadia Petrova to move into the final four 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.—AFP