By Bill Scott May 19, 2006, 19:09 GMT
Rome - 1999 champion Venus Williams began re-living her successful past at the 1.34-million-dollar Rome Masters Friday as she defeated Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the semifinals.
Williams plays either Martina Hingis or Flavia Pennetta on Saturday in her first WTA final-four appearance of a season where she has competed in only two events.
Williams, a 1998 finalist against Hingis, went on a tear after the 38th-ranked Jankovic threatened to run away with victory before missing on three chances for a set and 5-3 lead.
Ninth-seeded Williams pulled her game together, reeling off nine of the last ten games on the way to victory.
'It was tough to play last night and then again in the afternoon,' said the winner of a three-setter over 2005 finalist Patty Schnyder less than 24 hours earlier.
'I didn't have much time to recover. It was tough, but I'm happy to go through. I had difficulties in the first set, too many errors.
'But in the third, I drew encouragement from my father (and coach). He kept telling me to go for it.'
Svetlana Kuznetsova fought for nearly three hours to set up a semifinal with Dinara Safina as qualifier Romina Oprandi almost wrecked plans for the all-Russian clash.
Seventh seed Kuznetsoava, the 2004 US Open champion, had to save a match point and squeeze through in a final-set tiebreaker to hold off the Italian 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4).
Oprandi, born in Switzerland to Italian father and Swiss mother and a friend of Hingis, gave the favourite a huge battle on the clay.
The underdog served for the huge upset leading 5-3 in the third set, but Kuzy managed to stave off defeat from the Italian's return wide.
It went into a decider, with the Russian converting on the first of two match points.
'Her game looked like magic,' said the relieved winner. 'The ball bounced where I never expected it. I'd never played her and she has a good game.'
Safina earlier continued this week's Russian revolution with a 6-1, 6-1 hammering of compatriot Elena Dementieva.
'I want to continue this dream, why stop now,' said Safina. 'I played a good match, it was solid,' said Safina, who had never previously been past the second round in Rome.
'Maybe I was a little nervous in the last game, but I went for it anyway.'
Russia has dominated in 2006 at the top level of the circuit, with all five of the Tier I events played so far going to Russian winners.
Nadia Petrova, who pulled out injured from Rome, won Amelia Island and Berlin on clay, while Maria Sharapova, a pre-tournament withdrawal, claimed Indian Wells.
Kuznetsova lifted the Miami title.
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