BEIJING, China - Svetlana Kuznetsova kept her China Open finals streak intact with a quick semifinal win on Saturday, beating Nadia Petrova for the fifth time in six career meetings to reach the title match of the Premier stop. Agnieszka Radwanska awaits her. 
Beijing: SF Highlights
Kuznetsova, the No.6 seed, needed just an hour and eight minutes to get past the No.13-seeded Petrova, 61 63. Kuznetsova lost her serve once early in the second set but apart from that was only pushed to deuce once in eight service games; she broke five times. Highlights: Kuznetsova vs. Petrova
"The level was very high and it was tough to beat her," Kuznetsova said. "I'll keep trying to play my best. I will be the favorite tomorrow and I hope I'm going to win, but you never know." Interview: Svetlana Kuznetsova
In Kuznetsova's three previous appearances at the China Open, she was a runner-up in 2004, a champion in 2006 and again a runner-up last year.
In the other semifinal, No.12 seed Radwanska rallied from early breaks in both sets to continue her mastery over No.14 seed Marion Bartoli, 64 63. Bartoli won the first set the pair played, 6-0, but since then it has been all Radwanska, winning eight straight sets. Highlights: A.Radwanska vs. Bartoli
Radwanska made her first semifinal of the year last week in Tokyo and has now bettered that with her first final of the year. By reaching the final in China, the Pole is projected to return to the Top 10; Bartoli would have done the same.
"In Tokyo last week I did very well and now I've done great two weeks in a row," Radwanska said. "I want to go to Doha so I'll try my best tomorrow."
Kuznetsova is 5-3 lifetime against Radwanska but after the Russian won their first three meetings, Radwanska's three wins have come in their last five.
"We've played before and I've had some wins and some losses," Radwanska said of the head-to-head. It's always good to play against her. She's a great player and I'll try my best tomorrow." Interview: Agnieszka Radwanska
Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai won their fourth Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles title as a team with a 63 61 win over Alla Kudryavtseva and Ekaterina Makarova. Hsieh and Peng, who were the No.5 seeds, needed just an hour and one minute to stop the all-Russian duo. Hsieh and Peng had previously won titles at Bali last year and at Sydney and Rome this year. Hsieh now has seven Tour doubles titles to her name; Peng has six.
