Cibulkova defeats Kuznetsova to reach quarterfinals

Dominika Cibulkova wouldn't mind being a few centimeters taller. At 5-3, she is moving among giants in the tennis world. But she can be difficult to step on. You could ask Svetlana Kuznetsova about that. Kuznetsova, a former Open champion, couldn't pin down Cibulkova Monday in the round of 16. Cibulkova, unseeded here, came away with a 7-5, 7-6 (4) victory, putting her into the quarterfinals, where she will meet Caroline Wozniacki, the No. 1 seed.

"Ah, being short," Cibulkova smiled. "You know, I don't take this as a disadvantage. Because, OK, I'm short, but you know, I'm really quick. I can be fast on the court and I have no problems with low balls . . . Maybe I could be a little more centimeters taller for my serve, but it's still nothing like I struggle with. So I'm happy the way I am."

Kuznetsova played the second match of the evening session Sunday, and said the turnaround to first match at Ashe Stadium Monday was a disadvantage. "It was very hard for me to play one night second night match, and then in one day to play at 11, you know," Kuznetsova said. "I still have to play and win today, doesn't matter what. But I was just fighting with myself and was not doing all the time the things I was supposed to do."

Cibulkova, a Slovakian who is 21, plays the scrappy sort of game that someone her size has to excel at. She was showing considerable promise last year in her third year on tour, rising to No. 12 in the world, but a rib injury put her out of commission for two months. After a series of first-round losses this summer, she qualified for the Pilot Pen tournament the week before the Open and lost to Wozniacki in the second round.

"She's now No. 2 in the world, so she must have improved in something," Cibulkova said of Wozniacki's rise in the rankings.

Estonia's best, Kaia Kanepi, advanced with a rather bizarre win over Belgian Yaninia Wickmayer, a semifinalist last year. Kanepi couldn't get the ball over the net in the first set, and lost 0-6. She then toughed out a 7-6 second set win, taking the tiebreaker 7-2. Then everything she did wrong in the first set she did right in the third set, winning it and the match, 6-1.

Vera Zvonareva advanced easily in the night session, defeating Andrea Petkovic, 6-1, 6-2.