TENNIS in DEPTH.

Kim Clijsters was an easy third-round victor, while defending Rogers Cup champ Elena Dementieva was an upset victim Thursday at this $2 million Canadian event, a U.S. Open tune- up.

The fifth-seeded former world No. 1 Clijsters pummeled Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-1 on the hardcourts at Uniprix Stadium. The big-serving Kanepi was a surprise Wimbledon quarterfinalist last month.

Clijsters is the reigning U.S. Open champ and fresh off her title in Cincinnati last week. She captured this Rogers Cup tournament, in Toronto, in 2005.

Up next for Clijsters in Friday’s quarterfinals will be quality Russian Vera Zvonareva.

Chinese Zheng Jie stunned a fourth-seeded Dementieva in 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 fashion. Zheng was a surprise Aussie Open semifinalist back in January.

The two-time major runner-up and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dementieva beat former No. 1 Maria Sharapova in last year’s all-Russian Rogers Cup finale in Toronto, as this event shifts between Toronto and Montreal each year.

Former top-10 star Svetlana Kuznetsova continued her recent winning ways by ousting seventh-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 on Day 4. The 11th-seeded two-time major champion Kuznetsova corralled her eighth win in nine tries on Thursday and was a titlist in San Diego two weeks ago.

Kuznetsova’s quarterfinal opponent will be Zheng.

 Zvonareva added another win to her great summer, as she cooled off red-hot Hungarian Agnes Szavay in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Szavay had won her last 12 matches heading into Thursday and was seeking a third title in three events, with recent titles coming in Budapest and Prague.

Meanwhile, surging 10th-seeded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka drilled ninth- seeded Chinese Li Na 6-3, 6-3 and 17th-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli of France leveled Czech qualifier Iveta Benesova 6-0, 6-1. The lefthanded Benesova stunned top-seeded former world No. 1 Serb Jelena Jankovic here in the second round.

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