MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russian tennis champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has said she is proud of her victory over sixth-seeded compatriot Anna Chakvetadze in the U.S. Open women's semifinals in New York Friday.
"I am really proud of my success," she told reporters after beating Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
The 2004 U.S. Open champion will now face Belgian world number one Justine Henin in the final Saturday night.
The win did not come easily for Kuznetsova, who struggled against several reversals before prevailing.
"It was extremely tough," Kuznetsova said. "I played the worst first set. I couldn't put the ball in. I was really embarrassed."
With the win, Kuznetsova, 22, now advances to a career-best second seed, displacing Maria Sharapova to become the highest ranked Russian player.
It is her second Grand Slam final after becoming the first Russian woman to win the same event three years ago.
