The renaissance of Svetlana Kuznetsova continued on Friday after the world number 153 beat the third seed Karolina Pliskova 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals at the Cincinnati Open for the first time in her career. The two-time Grand Slam winner hit 30 winners and six aces, breaking the big-serving Pliskova three times to claim the victory after two hours and 23 minutes on court. 34-year-old Kuznetsova will meet top seed top seed Ashleigh Barty for a place in the final.