2013 French Open: Serena Williams Beats Svetlana Kuznetsova, French Open Ghosts

Serena Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 French Open.

After hitting a winner to seal the victory, Williams celebrated like she had won the French Open.

Perhaps the extra exuberance came from beating back Kuznetsova and some ghosts of Roland Garros. 

Williams had not moved beyond the quarterfinals since 2003. Last year she lost in the first round. Down 0-2 in the third set, it appeared Williams might get bounced again, in the quarterfinals.

But she gathered herself and like so many times, Williams dug deep to fight her way out of trouble.

It was a fierce battle. Finally, the women delivered a Grand Slam-worthy match like those we've seen all week on the men's draw.

It took Williams and Kuznetsova, two players with all-around games, both shot makers, to raise the woeful level of play on the women's side.

What a treat to see two crafty veterans plotting and playing at their best. 

Kuznetsova was perhaps the biggest roadblock standing in the way of Williams winning another French Open title. 

On paper it looked like a gimmie; the heavily favored No. 1 Williams against an unseeded player. But anyone who follows tennis knows Kuznetsova is more than some unseeded player. She has two Grand Slams.

Kuznetsova is a far better clay-court player than Williams. She grew up on clay. She is No. 11 on the WTA's all-time money leaders. She returned to the tour this year after missing six months with a knee injury. 

After dropping the first set 1-6, Kuznetsova outplayed Williams in many respects. The angles and drop shots she dished out to Williams were simply "Nadalian."

She put pressure on Williams, who struggled with her serve.

Kuznetsova came in with a superb game plan and was able to execute it. She was not intimidated by Williams. She was just as determined as Williams.

The turning point in the match was when Williams, down 0-2 in the third, decided to abandon her clay-court preparation. She went back to playing like she was on hard courts. She relied on her booming serve and powerful groundstrokes. 

It was as if she had ceded to Kuznetsova that hey, you are better on clay, but I'm the better player. 

No longer sliding to defend shots, Williams brought the hammer out and started swinging like a home run hitter. 

Kuznetsova had no answer. 

During the last point, Williams took the ball out of the air and with a ferocious swinging volley, dismissed Kuznetsova and the ghosts of past French Opens.