By DPA
Melbourne : Subdued Svetlana Kuznetsova became the highest seed to fall on a grim, grey day at the Australian Open with the second seeded crashing out to Polish Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-4 here Saturday.
The Polish teenage winner advanced to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the third time in three years with the victory. “It’s pretty simple, I think I beat myself up out there,” confessed 2004 US Open champion “Kuzy.”
“I didn’t do much right. I lost the match and this is it. She played well, but I was not doing anything to win the match. Playing like this, I think I deserve to lose today,” she said.
Radwanska spent 77 minutes in advancing, aided by 36 unforced errors from the seed.
Kuznetsova had won all three of her previous meetings last season against Radwanska. The Pole claimed the Stockholm Open title last summer and had never been past the Melbourne second round in two previous appearances.
The challenger claimed a second major Russian scalp after knocking holder Maria Sharapova out of the US Open in September, also in the third round.
“It was exactly the same match, a Russian player. In both matches I had nothing to lose. Just play and try my best, and I did it twice. I’m very excited and happy. I lost against her a few times already, but it was very close. Finally I did it – I beat her.”
In another upset, Russian Maria Kirilenko eliminated sixth-seeded compatriot Anna Chakvetadze 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 6-2, claiming victory in a final game, which went to five deuces and five match points.
The Kirilenko comeback lifted the 20-year-old’s record to 2-4 against Chakvetadze, who may still be suffering with nerves after a December home invasion she and her family suffered last month.
Kirilenko was pleased to get a win over her longtime junior rival. “When you go on the court you don’t really think, ‘She’s my friend. Oh, my God.’ When you are playing you don’t think anything. You just think about the right thing, what you should to do.”
The day-six programme was severely hampered as the first rain of the week began to fall before matches had begun. But while outside courts were wet, covered showcase courts allowed the two contests to start.