Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates his win over Igor Andreev of Russia at the US Open Tuesday night. Federer won 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. - AP

NEW YORK (AP):

SIXTH-SEEDED Dinara Safina overpowered No. 16 Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-3 in the US Open quarter-finals yesterday, earning the right to play one of the Williams sisters next.

Safina, the sister of 2000 champion Marat Safin, reached her first semi-final at Flushing Meadows. The Russian has won 37 of her past 41 matches and made it to the finals at six of her previous seven events.

"I'm getting closer to reaching the same thing as my brother," Safina said.

The French Open runner-up and Beijing Olympics silver medallist compiled a 25-13 edge in winners against Pennetta and was only broken once.

"She was playing unbelievable, you know," said Pennetta, from Italy. "She didn't give me a lot of chances."

Now comes a much harder assignment for Safina: Trying to beat Venus or Serena Williams.

Big match

"It's going to be a big match. They're both playing good," Safina said. "I just want to focus again on myself and to give my 100 per cent and see who's going to be stronger."

The siblings, both two-time Open champions, were to face each other in the last women's quarter-final last night, their 17th matchup as professionals.

Safina is 1-3 against Serena and has never faced Venus.

The Russian was asked which sister she would rather meet. "I don't care," Safina said.

For Pennetta, it was her first career major quarter-final - and it showed right from the start against Safina.

Pennetta came to the US Open with a 21-22 career record in Grand Slam tournaments and a 1-4 mark at Flushing Meadows. She dropped her first service game, misjudging an overhead to set up a break point, then flubbing a forehand to end a 15-stroke exchange.

Groundstroke

That was part of Safina's run to leads of 3-0 and 4-1. When Pennetta sailed yet another groundstroke long while serving down 5-2, the Russian earned another break and owned the first set.

Safina's one real blip came when she was broken at love to fall behind 2-0 in the second set, as Pennetta smacked a backhand return winner on an 83 mph (132 kph) second serve. But Safina broke right back, then broke again for a 5-2 lead.

At the start of the US Open, Safina was one of six women with a chance to be ranked No. 1 at the end of the tournament.

That included current No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who was upset in the second round. But by virtue of No. 2 Jelena Jankovic making the semi-finals, Ivanovic is assured of dropping from No. 1.

Jankovic will face No. 5 Elena Dementieva in the other women's semi-final. They advanced with victories on Tuesday.