Serena Williams falls to Kuznetsova in quarters

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One shot by Serena Williams sent Svetlana Kuznetsova to the court in a messy spill that left her covered with clay.

The Russian was down but not out. Showing newfound resilience, she squandered a big lead in the second set Wednesday but ended Williams’ 18-match Grand Slam winning streak in the French Open quarterfinals, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5.

Williams, seeded second, was seeking her third successive major title and the 11th of her career.

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Williams was on the verge of reaching the women’s final four after mounting a comeback and taking a 3-1 lead in the final set. She blamed nerves for her defeat.

“In the third set I had an opportunity and I got really tight, and I pretty much gave it to her,” Williams said. “It was like, ‘Here, do you want to go to the semis? Because I don’t.’ She was like, ‘OK.’”

The No. 7-seeded Kuznetsova faced a set point serving at 5-6 in the first set but erased it with a slam and took the lead. After Kuznetsova’s tumble in the second set, Williams erased a 5-3 deficit and rallied three points from defeat to even the match.

“It was very confusing,” Kuznetsova said. “Yes, I missed my moments, but she also was playing good.”

Kuznetsova mounted the final surge and overcame her history of shaky play when trying to close out big matches. Instead it was Williams who succumbed to the tension.

Why the nerves?

“I don’t know,” Williams said. “I haven’t gotten tight since 2007 in Australia. Maybe I put some expectations on myself that I didn’t put on myself initially.”

Williams won her only French Open title in 2002.

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