Kuznetsova into Miami Open final

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — When Serena Williams made an early exit at the Miami Open, the next generation of women’s tennis wasn’t quite ready to fill the void.

Instead it will be former champions Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka in the final Saturday.

Eight-time champion Williams was beaten by Kuznetsova in the fourth round, and then the Russian just kept winning. In the semifinals Thursday, she erased 12 of the 14 break points she faced in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Timea Bacsinszky.

Kuznetsova, 30, is back in the final 10 years after she won the tournament.

Azarenka advanced by beating No. 2-seeded Angelique Kerber, 6-2, 7-5. Azarenka, who won the tournament in 2009 and 2011, has yet to drop a set in this year’s tourney.