MOSCOW -- Martina Hingis, without a tournament victory since February, didn't even last long Friday against Elena Dementieva -- who has never won one.

The eighth-seeded Russian took just 70 minutes to oust the world's top player from the quarterinals of the Kremlin Cup. Dementieva won 6-2, 6-2, beating Hingis for the first time in her career.

"What can be better than to beat the world's top player," asked Dementieva, who lost to Hingis in three sets last year in the quarterfinals of the tournament. "I've been waiting for this rematch for a long time."

"When I first played her at the Australian Open years ago, I knew she would be a very good player, and today she proved that she can beat the top player," Hingis said.

Dementieva, the Sydney Olympics silver medalist, broke Hingis twice to take a 3-0 lead in the first set. She saved three break points in the next game to go up 4-0, then broke Hingis again.

"This was a deciding moment of the first set," the Russian said. "If you allow her to get into the match, it is almost impossible to stop her then."

In the second set, they traded breaks until the sixth game, when Dementieva fought off four break points and went ahead 4-2. She extended her lead with another break in the seventh game and wrapped up a victory with a forehand down the line.

"I played well today, and had my chances in all the games, but she just played better on game points," Hingis said. "You have to take a higher and higher rhythm to win a point and that's the reason why I made so many mistakes today."

Hingis hasn't won a tournament since getting her third title of the year in Dubai. Before that, she won in the Hopmans Cup in Australia and the Qatar Open.

"She played well today, hitting the balls in all directions and her down-the-lines were perfect," Hingis said.

On Thursday night, after losing the first set against American qualifier Alexandra Stevenson, Dementieva called for a trainer.

"I was seriously considering pulling out of the match," she said then. "But then the trainer came on and gave me massage, and after taking a painkillers I felt a little better and decided to hang in there."

In the semifinals Saturday at the $2.185 million tournament, Dementieva will face compatriot Anastasia Myskina, a wild-card entry to the tournament. She defeated Barbara Schett of Austria 6-4, 6-2 for her first quarterfinals victory of the year.

Six-seeded Silvia Farina-Elia of Italy came from a set down to beat Daja Bedanova of the Czech Republic 1-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4 and set up a semifinals clash with Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia. No. 5 Dokic needed just 51 minutes to beat Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-2, 6-0.

With the elimination of Hingis, Dokic is the highest-seeeded player left in the women's draw. Second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France, Justin Henin of Belgium, seeded third, and No. 4 Nathalie Tauziat of France where eliminated in the second round.

On the men's side, Yevgeny Kafelnikov scored a swift 6-3, 7-5 win over fifth-seeded Thomas Johansson as the top seed and defending champion seeks his fifth straight Kremlin Cup title.

Kafelnikov, who had lost his last eight matches to Johansson, finally was able to master his Swedish opponent.

After taking the opening set in 31 minutes, the Russian scored a key break in the 11th game of the second set for a 6-5 lead and held his serve to improve his dismal win-loss record against Johansson to 5-9.

Kafelnikov now faces fourth-seeded German Tommy Haas, who had little trouble against Swedish qualifier Magnus Gustafsson 6-1, 6-4, and unseeded Slovak Dominik Hrbaty meets Germany's Nicolas Kiefer in the other semifinal.

Hrbaty, who upset second seed Marat Safin Thursday, produced another solid performance less than 24 hours later by beating Czech Jiri Novak 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, while Kiefer knocked out former two-time Kremlin Cup champion Marc Rosset of Switzerland 6-3, 7-6 (1).

Information from Reuters was used in this report.