Russia's Elena Dementieva defeated unseeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open here on Wednesday.

The world number four collected her 15th consecutive victory this season after winning warmup tournaments in Auckland and Sydney.

Dementieva became the third Russian woman through to the semifinals in Melbourne this year, joining Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva.

She will next meet either Serena Williams or Svetlana Kuznetsova.

(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2009)