Serena Williams beaten by Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5 in French Open quarterfinal

Serena Williams loses in French Open quarterfinal

PARIS — 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.

Roger Federer moved one step closer to the only Grand Slam title he has yet to win, beating Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-4. It’s the 20th consecutive time Federer has reached the semifinals in a major tournament.

Federer is 5-0 against his opponent Friday, No. 5-seeded Juan Martin del Potro. The 6-foot-6 Argentine advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal by beating No. 16 Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

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. I maybe I put some expectations on myself that I didn’t put on myself initially.”

Williams won her only French Open title in 2002.

Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, seeks her second major title. Her opponent Thursday will be Samantha Stosur of Australia, who reached her first major semifinal by beating Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-3.

Stosur, 25, has never won a tour title.

Kuznetsova was serving one point from a 5-2 lead in the second set when she turned her right ankle in pursuit of a shot and fell on her back. She rose caked with clay — it was even in her hair and on her forehead.

She was unhurt and play quickly resumed, but it took a while for Kuznetsova to regain her footing. Later she could smile about the spill.

“See the sand?” she said at her postmatch news conference. “I still have clay in my hair.”

Against Monfils, Federer took the partisan crowd out of the match with his most impressive performance of the tournament. He saved a set point in the tiebreaker when Monfils hit a backhand wide, swept the next two points to win the set and pulled away by winning 18 of his final 19 service points.

Federer’s path to a record-tying 14th Grand Slam title became easier when four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal was upset Sunday. With Nadal’s absence comes higher expectations.

“I felt some pressure before this match,” Federer said. “I was very nervous, because I thought it would be very difficult.”

But Williams-Kuznetsova lasted longer — nearly 3 hours. After two sets, the match mirrored the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January, when Kuznetsova served for the victory at 5-3 in the second set before Williams rallied.

In that case, Williams went on to the title, but this time Kuznetsova recovered from her second-set lapse. She failed to convert two match points in the 10th game of the last set, but smacked three service winners to hold for 6-5. A weary Williams committed three unforced errors serving in the final game, including a backhand pushed wide on match point.

The seesaw struggle was this close: Midway through the third set, each player had won 100 points.

“Honestly, I think I lost because of me, and not because of anything she did,” Williams said.

Not entirely. High-risk tennis paid off for Kuznetsova, who whacked winners into both corners and sometimes chose angles that surprised Williams. Kuznetsova showed lots of variety, too — when she hit a crosscourt lob, Williams staggered helplessly as she watched the ball land beyond her reach.

“We both fight hard, and it was very interesting match to watch,” Kuznetsova said. “I give my best. I was lucky and I won this match. I push myself to the limit.”