Serena Williams, Kutznetsova move into Kremlin Cup semifinals

Serena Williams doesn't mind being the underdog.

The fourth-seeded American topped No. 8 Nicole Vaidisova , 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), on Friday in the quarterfinals of the dual-gender Kremlin Cup.

Now the Australian Open champion faces a significant challenge in the semifinals where she will have to conquer top seed and local favorite Svetlana Kuznetsova .

"Svetlana is doing so well. She has moved up to No. 2 in the world and she's now the No. 1 Russian, which, trust me, means a lot, because there are a lot of Russians out there," Williams said. "I've got nothing to lose in (Friday's) match because she's ranked higher than I am.

"That's how I felt in Australia ... every match, from (Nadia) Petrova to (Jelena) Jankovic to Shahar Peer , I felt like I didn't have anything to lose, and it got me the title, my eighth Grand Slam. I actually enjoy being in that position because I feel like I have no pressure and I play better. So it's cool."

Williams defeated world No. 1 Justine Henin to win her 28th career title in April at Miami, but this is her first semifinal appearance since then.

Kuznetsova coasted into the round of four Friday with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph against fellow Russian Vera Dushevina , who had upset No. 5 Marion Bartoli in the second round.

Ranked No. 2 in the world, the 22-year-old Kuznetsova picked up her first win in three meetings with Williams in the quarterfinals at Stuttgart last week.

"I played an unbelievable match against her last week," Kuznetsova said. "I expect it to be very hard, hopefully I can play well again."

Kuznetsova is one of three Russians who have forged their way into the final four of this Tier I hardcourt event, worth $1.34 million on the women's side.

Elena Dementieva reached her fifth consecutive Kremlin Cup semifinal on Friday with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 win against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus while Dinara Safina advanced with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory against compatriot Vera Zvonareva .

The women's first prize is $182,000.

The $1 million men's tournament, also in the quarterfinal round, saw one surprise Friday as unseeded Michael Berrer won when No. 8 Philipp Kohlschreiber retired due to a back injury. Berrer, who has reached his first ATP semifinal, was leading 6-3 when his fellow German conceded the match.

This is the second straight win over a seeded player for Berrer, who upset No. 2 Mikail Youzhny in straight sets in the second round Thursday.

The 27-year-old can reach his first final with a victory on Saturday against No. 4 Paul-Henri Mathieu , who moved on Friday with a businesslike, 6-3, 6-3, victory over unseeded Florent Serra of France.

Ranked 24th in the world, Mathieu has won two of his four career titles this season.

Top-seed and defending champion Nikolay Davydenko continued his push toward another final appearance as he secured a 7-5, 7-5 victory against fellow Russian Igor Andreev .

"Towards the end of the match we fought over every point and I was more concentrated which played the key role," Davydenko said. "I was 0-1 down in our head-to-heads so it was essential for me to win."

Fourth in the world rankings and playing on home soil, Davydenko is looking for his third Kremlin Cup title after winning this tournament last year and in 2004. The 26-year-old has 10 career singles titles, but has yet to win in 2007.

The 2005 champion of this event and three-time winner on the tour, Andreev has yet to reach a final in 2007.

Davydenko's semifinal foe will be surprising Janko Tipsarevic , who moved on with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win against Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. Ranked No. 68 in the world, the Serbian is bidding for his first ATP final appearance.

First prize for the men is $142,000.