Kuznetsova blocks Peer bid

PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) A fired-up Svetlana Kuznetsova foiled Shahar Peer's bid to become the first Israeli woman to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open with a brisk 6-4 6-3 victory today.

The Russian third seed had come off second best in their two previous meetings and was determined to break that dubious run, winning the 44-minute first set when her 20-year-old opponent smacked a backhand long.

In the second, Kuznetsova outclassed the 15th seed with her superior baseline tactics to streak ahead 5-1.

After failing to serve out the match on her first attempt, the 2004 US Open champion made no mistake second time round and tapped away a backhand to seal the 81-minute victory.

She will next face either rising Serb Ana Ivanovic or Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues.

REUTERS BJR PM1824