TENNIS in DEPTH.

Top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova needed a third-set tiebreaker to beat Belgian teenager Yanina Wickmayer 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (2).

The French Open champion seemed to be cruising after taking 5-4 lead in the second with a match point on Wickmayer’s serve.

But the 19-year-old rallied, then broke Kuznetsova in the seventh game of the third set and was serving for the match. Kuznetsova came up with two big returns to break back, then dominated the tiebreaker.

”I knew at 5-all that if I wanted to win the match, I would have to play perfect,” Wickmayer said. ”And I almost played perfectly, but I guess in the tiebreaker she was just too good for me.”

Kuznetsova acknowledged that she let her concentration lag at times, and said she sometimes needs to have her back against the wall before she plays her best tennis.

”I still have it, so I appreciate that I have it, but I have to work on closing out things when I have the chance to,” she said.

Kuznetsova will play her friend and sometimes doubles partner Amelie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals.

Two other top seeds advanced in straight sets. Caroline Wozniacki, the defending champion, dispatched Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-1, 6-4, while No. 3 Flavia Pennetta beat Iveta Benesova 7-6(1), 6-4, racking up eight aces.

”My serve helped me a lot on the important points,” Pennetta said. ”I didn’t make a lot of mistakes, I was very aggressive.”

Virginia Razzano also advanced, when Agnieszka Radwanska retired before the third set of their match with a hand injury. Radwanska said she will be able to play in the U.S. Open.

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