Israeli Peer stuns third seed Kuznetsova

MELBOURNE, Jan 21 (Reuters) Israeli teenager Shahar Peer upset Russian third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 6-2 in the fourth round of the Australian Open today.

The 16th seed broke the Russian's serve three times in a scrappy opening set and even a rain break while she was serving at 4-2 in the second failed to disrupt her concentration as she went on to win in an hour and 17 minutes.

Kuznetsova, who had steamrolled her opponents in the first three rounds for the loss of just 10 games, looked to be struggling with her mobility and was frequently exposed by Peer's speed across the back of the court.

Peer, who became the first Israeli woman to reach the quarter-final of a grand slam, will face the winner of the fourth-round match between in-form Serb Jelena Jankovic and twice former champion Serena Williams of the US.

REUTERS PM BD0948