Svetlana Kuznetsova will never replace her mentor Martina Navratilova as the greatest but, at the tender age of 19, she is already one of the grittiest players in women's tennis.

The determined defending champion is clearly not about to give up her Hastings Direct crown without an almighty fight.

Kuznetsova overcame two rain delays and a second set fright against French eighth seed Nathalie Dechy at Devonshire Park yesterday to book her place in the semi-finals.

Her 6-4, 7-5 victory in 97 minutes sets up an intriguing showdown today with close friend and former world No.1 Kim Clijsters.

Kuznetsova, the world No. 5, loves a scrap. The powerful little Russian narrowly won three-setters against compatriot Eva Zvonareva and Daniela Hantuchova in the semi-finals and final last year.

She scraped past qualifier Anna Chakvetadze in a deciding tie-break in an all-Russian clash in the second round on Wednesday and survived another close encounter against Dechy, a semi-finalist in the Australian Open at the start of the year.

It was a messy match, the interruptions testing Kuznetsova's concentration and Dechy's wardrobe.

The world No. 18 started in orange shorts, then changed into tight white trousers after the first rain break midway through the first set and ended up wearing three different tops.

A dank, windy day on the south coast must have been a far cry for Dechy from Guadeloupe, where she was born, although the 26-year-old should be familiar with similar conditions in Belgium, where she now lives.

Kuznetsova took matters into her own hands when the drizzle returned, with Dechy 1-0 up and a break point up at the start of the second set.

The title holder hurried off, closely followed by her opponent, before the tournament referee arrived on court and the umpire could announce play was suspended.

Dechy duly broke once play got under way again and went on to establish a seemingly unassailable 5-2 lead, only for Kuznetsova to emphasise her fighting qualities.

Boosted by successive aces, she pressed the accelerator as Dechy faltered. The young Russian was so focused that she even forgot to change ends as she reeled off five games in a row to avenge defeats in her two previous meetings with Dechy, including a titanic struggle in last year's Federation Cup final.

Kuznetsova, explaining her walk-off, said: "I slipped and it was so slippery on the baseline I almost fell. I didn't want to hurt myself, I know when I cannot play."

Kuznetsova is not the conventional type. She was still on court when she made a phone call on her mobile immediately after the match to a friend stranded outside without a pass.

She will have to produce another pass or two to deny Clijsters but Kuznetsova feels she is running into form.

"I played so much better," she said. "I am still not playing as well as I can but there was a huge difference. I am getting used to the grass and the wind.

"It will be tough against Kim. If I could have chosen who to play I would have chosen somebody I don't get on so well with. We will be fighters on the court but still friends off it."

Clijsters was untroubled by lucky loser Mashona Washington, repeating her 6-2, 6-2 victory over Conchita Martinez in the previous round.

The Belgian seventh seed was relieved to finish Washington off quickly after the American received treatment for an injured right wrist.

"When she took the time out I could see the dark clouds coming, so I was happy with the short points in the last game, "Clijsters said. "My serve was the thing I was most happy about. There is still a lot of work to be done on my groundstrokes."

The day was dominated by injuries and the weather. Unseeded French youngster Marion Bartoli, trailing 5-0 in her quarter-final against 18-year-old Russian qualifier Vera Douchevina, retired with a strained left foot.

Fourth seed Anastasia Myskina bids to become the third Russian in the semi-finals when she resumes today against Italian qualifier Roberta Vinci. Myskina dropped the first set 6-4 and was 1-0 up in the second when further rain ended play prematurely.

The tournament sponsors have carried over their £50,000 Eastbourne carrot to any British player reaching the quarter-finals to Wimbledon.

Their money is surely safe, with Katie O'Brien and Rebecca Llewellyn facing particularly daunting tasks in the first round against Clijsters and Kuznetsova respectively.

The Wimbledon draw has been marginally kinder to British No. 1 Elena Baltacha. She meets a qualifier ahead of a possible second round clash with Russian sixth seed Elena Dementieva.