AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Argentina's Paola Suarez beat Russia's Anna Kournikova 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 Saturday in the quarterfinals of the rain-plagued Bausch & Lomb Championships.
Suarez, who upset second-seeded Serena Williams earlier in the week, struggled in the first set, failing to hold serve on all four attempts and committing seven double faults and 23 unforced errors.But she took control in the second set, using deep, accurate ground strokes to keep Kournikova off balance.
"I think the key was that I continued to get better during the match," Suarez said. "I did not play well in the first set, but even then I thought I was getting better all the time.
"I started to think more about each shot, exactly where I wanted to place it. I tried not to think about winning the match, I was just concentrating on winning one point at a time."
Kournikova, frustrated by her play and several calls, slammed her racquet into the clay surface late in the match, drawing a warning for a code violation from the chair umpire.'
Suarez will face defending champion Monica Seles on Sunday in the semifinals. Seles continued her mastery over Spain's Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, winning 6-1, 6-3.